When Fame and Fortune Collide
by VirginAuthor
Summary: Lily has started her 5th year at Hogwarts, but a mysterious person is still out there, bent on hurting her. Will Scorpius be able to save her? And what happens when Lily starts dating someone seriously? Sequel to "When Fame and Fortune Meet" Rated T
1. The Reunion

A/N: This is the sequel to When Fame and Fortune Meet

**A/N: This is the sequel to When Fame and Fortune Meet. You may be a little lost with some of the background if you do not read that one first. This will start from Lily's 5****th**** year. Enjoy. Again, I love reviews and love any suggestions for ideas to add or a new story to start. Thanks for reading.**

Lily woke to the sun shining through her window. She stretched, feeling completely warm and content. She felt the warm morning sun on her face and she smiled. Her window opened on its own and she could smell the cool morning breeze. With a flutter of wings, Bludger came swooping down to her head board.

Her dad had put a band on Bludger's leg. When he got close to her window, it opened for him automatically. The window closed as Bludger shook out his feathers. He really was a beautifully fierce bird, even puffed up a bit. Lily sat up and Bludger gave her a slight nip on her shoulder.

"Morning. Yes I'm up. Time to go for our morning walk." Lily jumped out of bed and rushed to get ready. "You know, Scorpius will be here today. I bet he has some wonderful treats from France for you to try."

Lily couldn't wait. It had been weeks since the two friends had seen each other. The summer had flown by, and now they only had a few weeks left. Scorpius had gone with his parents and grandparents to Paris for some family time. He hadn't been thrilled, but his dad had promised him two weeks at the Potter's if he behaved and actually participated.

She hadn't heard from him in those two weeks. They had never told his parents about the mirrors or the parchment they used to talk to each other. They figured the more people who knew about them the more likely they would be caught in class. Her dad knew about the mirrors but he kept their little secret. Scorpius had been able to write a quick note to her, explaining that Draco had wanted this to be all about family, which meant no sitting writing to Lily constantly. Scor had not wanted to jeopardize his trip to the Potters, so the two had agreed no contact for two weeks.

It had been a really long two weeks. Even during school, the two talked almost constantly. They wrote notes, talking with the mirrors, or spent time together. But Scorpius had been true to his word, and he had devoted the two weeks to family. He had not written to Lily once and she was bursting to talk to him.

She quickly moved through the house. She was stealthy when she wanted to be, and she did not want to wake the rest of the family. With barely a noise, she entered the warm kitchen. Harry was already sitting at the table packing a small bag with breakfast and drinks. He looked up at Lily, smiling. He whispered, "I thought I would join you today, if that's alright."

Lily smiled and nodded. It was not everyday that she got to spend one on one time with her dad. He was an early riser, and usually had breakfast packed for her walk, though he did not usually join her.

The two started out. Despite the sun, you could still see your breath mist in the chill morning air. Neither talked, they simply walked enjoying the company. You could hear birds and the rustle of trees. They walked half way around the lake and found a nice open spot to sit for breakfast. Over hot tea and oatmeal, the two sat back to enjoy the morning.

This is what Lily loved most about her dad. They were very similar. Little things could get them really excited, but they each loved the quiet. Her dad once told her it was because he had been through a lot of times where he couldn't just sit and relax that he savored it now. They didn't need to talk. Harry gave a contented sigh and leaned back on his elbows. Lily lay forward on her stomach and lay her head on her arms, watching the sun on the lake. After a few minutes, Lily spoke.

"So what did you want to talk about Dad?"

"What makes you think I wanted to talk to you about anything?"

Lily gave him a sly wink, which he returned. "Because you never come for these walks unless you want to talk. You always wait until I get home if you just want to spend time with me."

"I know, but you never tell me I can't go on the walk with you. As you know Scorpius comes today." Lily smiled at that. Harry sighed.

"What's wrong Dad?"

"I want you to make me a promise."

"What promise is that?"

"Do you remember when you first started talking about your new friend, Scorpius? How I was a little hesitant?"

Lily scrunched up her face, trying to remember. It had been five years ago when she had first told her dad about her new friend, a third year Slytherin. "Yeah, but I just figured that was because he was Draco Malfoy's son and you didn't get along with Draco."

Harry laughed softly, "Well there was that." Harry became serious again, "No, it was because I know you. You become very attached to your friends and you become very loyal. I was afraid because he was older."

Lily sat up, "What does that have to do with me being friends with him? You dated Mum and she was younger than you."

Harry held up his hands in defense. "Rein in the horses Lil. Hear me out. I was afraid that you and he would become best friends, and you did. I knew when you wanted to seek out the friendship that if it survived it would be a deep friendship. And before you say anything, I am not suggesting that you end the friendship. I would never suggest that. I like Scorpius very much and I have no desire to see you dissolve that friendship." By now Lily was very confused. What exactly was her dad getting at?

"This will be your fifth year at Hogwarts. You still have two to go. Scorpius does not. He is done after this year and he will move on. I just want you to promise me that you will not spend all your time with him just because it is his last year. I want you to make sure you are keeping up with your friends that are your age."

She must have given him a confused look. He sighed and explained. "I have seen you these last few weeks when you have not been able to talk to him. You have been lonely and moody. I don't want that to be your last two years at Hogwarts. I am sure that is not how Scorpius wants your last few years to be. You two have become so close, I am worried about what will happen when he leaves."

"But Dad, we'll still talk all the time."

"But it won't be the same. All I ask is that you make extra efforts this year with students your own age so that when Scorpius is not there next year, you are not so lonely."

She smiled and hugged Harry. "OK, I will Dad. But I think you are getting worked up over nothing."

"Just humor me Lily Bean." He smiled down at her and she felt the warmth of the smile. When he had first started his little talk, she had thought he was going to talk about how to watch out for the Malfoy family like Uncle Ron sometimes did, but she should have known her father would never do anything like that. In the years that Scorpius had been coming to visit them at Haven, Harry was one of the first to welcome him and ask how he was doing. He even invited Scorpius to lunch at least once when he was over giving a lecture at Hogwarts.

With his current lecture over, Harry gave Lily a mischievous smile. "Are you up for a challenge this morning Lily?"

She laughed, "Of course I am." With a wave of his wand Harry summoned two brooms from the shed at the house. It was an old game they had started years ago. Not even Ginny knew about the challenge. Her dad said Mum would skin him alive for attempting it with one so young, so they had kept their little secret.

When Lily was only about nine or so, Harry had told her about a move he had seen at his first Quidditch World Cup. It was the Wronski Feint, and he had showed Lily the move so many times that one day, she followed him. Ever since, it became a challenge, who would be the first to pull up.

Lily and her father mounted their brooms and shot straight up into the air. It was exhilarating. Her father had trained from a very young age and she had taken to it like a duck to water. They could often be seen riding around in the morning sun after Lily came home from her morning walk. The family, James and Albus included, did not know about the challenge however. That was something special between her Dad and her.

When they reached the proper height, Lily and Harry exchanged a look and dived at the same time. They moved, neck and neck, free falling faster and faster. When on shifted, the other followed the movement. It was amazingly graceful. Bludger started to circle the two as they dropped. It was a magnificent sight. The ground drew closer and closer. Neither looked away from the ground. They were yards away, feet, inches, when finally the two pulled up at the exact same time, brushing the ground with the bottom of their brooms.

Harry gave a deep laugh, "That has got to be our best yet. I didn't think you would come that far down with me." Lily felt alive and ran to her dad, throwing an arm around his waist. The two laughed and talked a bit as they walked back home.

They were almost to the door when Ginny came bustling out. She smiled at the two, trying to smooth Harry's windswept hair. Lily heard her dad mutter, "Losing battle dear." Ginny laughed and kissed the two of them.

"Good Morning to you too love. I was wondering what was taking so long. Someone has been waiting in there for nearly half an hour Lily. He apparated in just this morning…" but Ginny got no further. Lily was sprinting across the lawn to the open doorway.

She vaguely heard Harry mutter, "It begins. You see that, left for another man. Honestly."

There in the doorway stood a very tall, tan, blond man. He was smiling hugely showing off his perfect teeth. She threw herself into his open arms and he picked her up and swung her around. "Lily!"

"Scor! Merlin I missed you! How was France?"

Scorpus Hyperion Malfoy laughed as he set Lily down. His eyes twinkled and he gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "It was beautiful, but I missed you. It was pure torture going all those days without talking to you. My Grandfather can be a right bore you know. And my mum, all she wanted to do was shop and guess who got to help my dad carry all those damn packages. All because I am officially 17 now."

Before Lily could ask more, Harry and Ginny arrived back at the door and Harry put a hand out for Scorpius. The two men shook hand all the while smiling. Lily was struck at the subtle changes Scorpius had undergone over the summer. He was now taller than Harry by an inch or so. He had also developed some more muscle as well. He had always been long and lean, but now he had some muscle to fill out the length. His pale blue eyes were like ice chips, and yet they had a warm under glow.

Lily was not so delighted to notice that her own height had not grown an inch. She now only came up to Scorpius' chin, and she had to look up to see his eyes properly. She had always been smaller than him, but this was getting ridiculous. If he grew any more she was going to have to stand while he sat so they could have conversations face to face.

With the entrance of Scorpius, noises began to awaken the household. Lily could hear her brothers slamming their bedroom doors and making their way downstairs. Through the kitchen door came James first. He was blearily rubbing sleep from his eyes. He and Fred had started working for Uncle George at the joke shop after Hogwarts. They were helping to develop a new line of joke merchandise, and Uncle George was already talking about selling them part of the shop so they would one day take over.

James had come to stay with the family for a few days and he had quickly taken over his old room. He and Fred had an apartment in Diagon Alley, but every once in awhile, he came home to stay for a bit.

Albus and Blain followed closely behind. They looked more awake. Blain had arrived a few days prior to Scorpius. He got to stay the rest of the week before heading home. They looked much more awake than James, but that wasn't a surprise. Al liked to sleep in, but when he woke up, he was wide awake and ready for the day.

The three boys all joined in welcoming Scorpius. The four boys then proceeded to help Ginny get breakfast on the table for those that had not eaten yet. They seemed to enjoy the idea that Lily was the only one not able to use magic outside of Hogwarts yet. She played along with it, taking the joking in stride. With one look, she reminded them that she had other ways to get back at them, and the four boys backed away in mock fear. Harry and Ginny Potter sat back and watched their little family and smiled.

It was a perfect reunion.


	2. Water Wars and Pillow Fights

It had turned out to be a perfect day

Lily was having the time of her life. The four boys had banded together to give her a hard time, but she was back with Scorpius and so she put up with it. The five young adults had run down to the lake for some water fun and some quidditch play. Blain was his usual happy self. He seemed to be going all out in the joke department. He had even dunked Lily a time or two when they had gone boating.

Lily had surfaced, spitting water and giving the grinning Blain a glare to rival a Slytherin. Scorpius was no better. He was laughing hysterically at her dripping face. She winked at her brothers, who were trying to be a little more discrete in covering up their laughter. She glared up from the water at the boat Scorpius and Blain were sitting in warm and dry. "Some friend you are Malfoy. Can't even stop a little tripping hex."

"Well, you are just such an easy target. Really Lils, you should have seen it coming." James and Al knew what was coming. Lily dove under the boat and pushed hard. The boat capsized and Scorpius and Blain found themselves in the water with a laughing Lily. Scorpius surfaced with a glare and a shake of his blond hair. Blain was not far behind him. Lily gave them an innocent look.

"You really should have seen that coming." With a laugh, the three in the water started a little water fight. James and Al, not wanting to miss out, both preformed perfect cannonballs into the center of the water fight. They splashed, and dunked, and dove in and out of the water until they were exhausted. Laughing, the five friends pulled themselves onto the boats to dry off. Lily stood, shivering in her shorts and t-shirt. She smiled at Blain, who was trying to wring out his own shirt. Blain looked up and gave her an odd smile. Before she could determine what that smile was, she felt a towel being wrapped around her shoulders. Scor gave her a brief hug, "Nice moves Potter."

"Not bad yourself Malfoy. Now let's hit the beach. I think Mum has lunch ready for us." Scorpius gave a mock salute and took up his place at the oars. Lily sat down at the front of the boat with Blain. James had taken up the oars in the other boat and Al was egging the two oarsmen on.

"Come on James, he has two people in his boat and he's kicking your butt."

"Yeah, but one of those people is Lily. She weighs nothing. I have you in here, that's lie two of her."

Despite the protests, the two oarsmen put on a little more speed and it became a race to the shore. The boats were neck and neck for the first little bit, but James was a bit older and he had less weight. He made it to shore and jumped out to perform a victory dance. When their boat reached shore, Blain, Scorpius and Lily immediately started racing to the house. Lily called back to her brothers,

"Last one there is a Garden Gnome!" The five raced to the house, but Scorpius was outrunning them by a mile. His long legs ate up the distance. He was leaning against the doorframe with an air of nonchalance, "What took you so long?"

With a laugh, the others joined him and they all walked in to help Ginny with lunch. Ginny smiled as they went through the food. "Lord, you are all worse than Ron."

A voice spoke up from the doorway, "What's wrong with a healthy appetite?" There stood Ron Weasley with his two children, Rose and Hugo.

"Well there's healthy and there is walking stomach." Ginny said with a smile. She hugged Ron and asked him to join them for lunch. "What's left of it anyway, after this crew got finished."

"Sorry, can't. Harry and I have some reports to write." He gave a scowl, "But I promised Hugo and Rose that they could come spend the day with the cousins. What's two more right?" With a cheeky grin, he pushed the two into the room. Ginny hugged them and set two more plates on the table. The group welcomed the two others and Ron started for the door.

"I'll see you all tomorrow at Lily's party." And he was gone. Ginny shook her head at her brother.

"How Hermione puts up with him, I'll never know." The friends all giggled at each other. By now even Scorpius was used to the friendly insults the Weasley siblings flung at each other. It was a form of affection, but Ginny was the first to jump to Ron's defense if she felt he was being made fun of by someone other than friends or family. They had seen it when a family member of someone the aurors had arrested had insulted Ron at Diagon Alley last year. Harry had gently stepped between the wizard and Ginny, fearing that her wand would come out.

After lunch, the group of seven was debating what to do. Hugo suggested a game of quidditch, but Rose pointed out there were seven of them and if they wanted even teams, it wouldn't work. Lily looked up, drowsy after lunch. "You guys go, I'll be the referee. We can switch out."

The idea was greeted with enthusiasm, and soon the teams were up and playing. Scorpius was paired with Rose and James which left Blain, Albus, and Hugo on the other team. They were up and flying. Scorpius and Blain were each chosen as seekers, with the other four filling in below.

Lily jumped on her broom and flew into the middle of the mass. She enjoyed being the referee at times. It gave her a chance to watch the game. Usually she was so focused on the tiny gold ball she never saw the moves her team had up their sleeves. She could watch Al and James swerving with the quaffle and she saw Rose and Hugo attacking each other with the bludger. She was so absorbed in it, that she did not see the air work of Blain and Scorpius above her.

The two friends were swooping and diving above the group below. Lily finally glanced up and caught Blain's eye. He winked and made a spectacular dive followed by Scorpius. She laughed as the pair began to play a game of chase. They wove in and out of the other players and Lily found herself amused at the tactics. When Scorpius came out of the latest dive holding the snitch, Lily called up "I hope we don't look that ridiculous when we do it."

James leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Naw, you look more ridiculous." He swerved his broom away, narrowly missing the quaffle that Lily threw at him.

XXXXXXXX

The friends all sat around the living room after dinner that night. Ginny nad Harry had gone to Grandma Weasley's to help finish preparations for Lily's early 16th birthday party the following day. James and Hugo were playing a game of chess while Rose, Albus, and Blain were playing a game of cards on the floor. Lily snuggled back into the couch and leaned her head on Scorpius' shoulder. Each had a book open, but neither was reading. They were talking about Paris, and catching up. Scorpius told her stories about the sights of Paris and Lily told him about the latest news with family.

They whispered to each other, not wanting to disturb others. After a bit, they settled down to enjoy each others company. Lily leaned back and smiled contentedly at the fire. She turned her body so that her legs could dangle over the arm of the chair and she laid her head in Scor's lap. He in turn draped his arm over her and continued to read. The room was quiet and warm, and she could feel herself drifting off to sleep.

At the sound of breaking glass Lily bolted up. Blain looked up from the carpet. His glass was shattered on the floor. "Opps, sorry." With a quick reparo, the glass was back together, but Lily noticed that he was giving a slightly nasty look to Scorpius. She turned to look at Scorpius who merely raised his eyebrow at her as if to say _I have no idea._ When Lily looked back, Blain's usual carefree attitude had returned, and Lily began to think that she had imagined the look.

There were no more incidents that night. Lily and Scorpius crawled off the couch and all seven joined in a game of exploding snap. They didn't bother to go to their rooms they all just fell asleep in a pile around the card game. When Harry and Ginny returned home they laid blankets over them and headed off to bed.

XXXXXXXXX

The next day, Scorpius and Lily were both up before the others. They smiled at each other, and without a word, they each went to change and they met back up at the top of the stairs. Scorpius followed Lily to the kitchen where Harry was sitting with his morning paper and a cup of coffee. He looked up, his eyes twinkling.

'Morning' he mouthed. Lily and Scorpius returned the greeting. She gave him a hug good morning and he nodded his head to a small basket. "Breakfast is in there," he whispered and he glanced at Scorpius, "For both of you. And I have the new sketchpad you wanted." Lily gave him another hug of thanks and Scorpius whispered a quiet "Thank you." Harry shooed them out the door and went back to reading his paper, humming softly to himself.

Outside, the sun was just beginning to peek over the lake. It was going to be another glorious day. They walked in silence. Scorpius reached over and grabbed her hand. She smiled at the gesture. When others saw them, people not from school, they always assumed the two dated. It was a source of constant amusement for the two friends.

In reality Lily had formed a different opinion. She knew that most friends were not as touchy feely as they were, but she also knew Scorpius' family. She did not spend time at Malfoy Manor, but she had talked to Draco Malfoy on a few occasions and had met Scorpius' mother once or twice. They did not show physical affection in his family. They did not share hugs and kisses and such. It was an acceptable to show emotion. So when Scorpius came to the Potter family or when he was at school, he was constantly touching Lily. It was a hug, an arm, or holding hands. He hugged her mother and rough housed with her brothers. It was as if he was trying to make up for years of not having physical touch. She made sure to show him that she cared deeply for him, through words, looks, and touch. In those years, their friendship had flourished.

The found a nice spot by the lake. Lily pulled out breakfast and the two began their dance. There were no words, but they knew what the other would do. They didn't even need to speak. They sat and ate in silence, watching the sunrise. It painted the sky beautiful colors, and Lily sighed in contentment. Scorpius lay back on the ground and closed his eyes.

"This is perfect Lily."

"It is isn't it?" She rolled onto her back next to him. After a while Lily sat up and stretched. "So how is Ari?" Ari was Scorpius' girlfriend. Ever since Melinda, he had become somewhat of a playboy. He seemed to have a new girl on his arm every other week. When she would ask him why this one hadn't worked out, it was always something simple. This time was no different.

Scorpius stretched and sat next to her. "We broke it off ages ago."

"Oh, and what was it this time? Wait let me guess, she crinkled her nose funny. No that was Patty, silly me. I have trouble keeping up with you." Scorpius laughed at her.

"No, Ari just had a really annoying laugh. I mean, we were sitting in the library and I told her a joke and she just started laughing. It sounded like dozens of little Cornish Pixies and all I could think was 'is this what it is going to be like every time I tell a joke' and I just knew it wasn't going to work."

Lily brought her knees to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. She rested her head on her knees looking at Scorpius. "You are hopeless." Scorpius laughed and he stood up, holding a hand out to help Lily up.

"Yes I am, but that's how you like me." Lily rolled her eyes. The two friends started the short walk home.

"By the way, what did you do to Blain? He looked pissed at you last night."

"I honestly don't know. I was going to ask you if you had done something in the few days I wasn't here. It was very odd."

"Oh, by the way, I have a little surprise for you."

Scorpius looked at her, "I hate surprises."

"Liar." Lily laughed. "I invited Oz to come to the party. He should be here just before lunch."

"That's fantastic! Oh I can't wait for him to meet the whole lot of them. His eyes are gonna pop right out of his head. Not even Oz can remain cool and aloof with all your family around. This is going to be great!" Lily smiled at Scorpius' excited face.

Ever since her second year, Oz had been a part of their small group. He joined them on train rides and he studied with them in the common room outside the Great Hall. He had become very loyal to his new friends, but he was a Slytherin through and through. Even after two years, he did not show emotion easily. He was guarded and he preferred to watch what was going on rather than participate, but Scor had told them it was just his nature. He had been a welcome addition to the ever growing group.

He had not yet taken her up on her invitation to come visit the Potter's in the summer until now however, so it was going to be interesting.

The two friends had reached the house and with a look they ran into the living room, jumping on their still sleeping friends. A pillow fight erupted and day had begun. Anyone passing the house would hear the childish laughter and the happy feelings that came from the house. Unfortunately, dreams do not always last forever.


	3. Parties and Train Rides

"Oz

"Oz!" Oswald was knocked backwards as Lily threw herself into a hug.

"Oof, nice to see you too, Lily." She leaned back to see Oz's characteristic smirk. Oz dropped his arms when Scorpius and the others came out of the house. The next round of greetings started. Lily chuckled at the sight of their Slytherin friend. He was always so stiff and formal even around his friends. He rarely showed emotion, but his friends had learned that didn't mean he wasn't enjoying himself or that he didn't care.

Over the years, Lily was still accident prone. She landed herself in the hospital wing at least twice a year, and Oz was one of the first to be there when Madam Pomfrey finally let people in to see her.

Talking with Scorpius she knew that Persephone, Grayson, and Bernadette had never fully forgiven either of the other two so Scorpius and Oz had banded together. Now knowing how loyal Oz was to his friends, she understood how much it had cost him to leave those three friends behind for Scorpius. But his loyalty to Scorpius had prevailed. As Oz told him later, he had grown up with Scor. They were much like brothers, and he couldn't bear to fight with his brother.

When the hugs and greeting were all done, Lily grabbed Oz's hand and pulled him into the house. "Time for the tour. I'm so glad you could come Oz. You will get to meet the whole family!" Oz looked slightly green at this prospect, but Lily just continued to pull him further into the house.

Oz allowed her to pull him through the house. He had a good natured smile on his face as if her were merely indulging his friend. That was until they reached the living room. He paused, looking at two empty frames on the mantle. "Um, Lily, where did the portraits go? I haven't seen any others in the house."

Lily looked up and laughed, "Oh they went to their other frames at Hogwarts. We really don't see much of them. Do you want to meet them?"

"Meet who?"

Scorpius spoke up. "Two of Hogwarts headmasters. Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore."

Lily exchanged a look with Scorpius. She could still remember when he had first met the portraits, well Severus' portrait anyway.

It had been the summer after her second year and Scor had asked the same question. Lily had giggled and run up to the empty frame. "Uncle Sev, do you have a minute. I have someone I'd like you to meet."

The empty frame came to life and a dark haired man came from the shadows. His dark, lank hair covered part of his face. His black eyes stared down his nose at the small child. He wore an impressive scowl, used to intimidate even the rowdiest of children. Lily could feel Scorpius take an involuntary step back. Severus Snape shook his hair back and crossed his arms. Glaring down at the offending child, he spoke in a dark liquid voice.

"Honestly child, how often do I have to remind you, I am not your _uncle_." He spoke the word as if it were foul in his mouth. Lily had only smiled her brightest smile.

"But I have been calling you that for years. I would think you were used to it. And I know you're not my uncle, but you are my honorary uncle, and you love it."

The man in the portrait said nothing, merely raised a brow. When Lily continued to smile openly he finally rolled his eyes. "Insolent child. You are most definitely your father's daughter. Now why exactly did you summon me here?"

"I want you to meet my friend. He's on your house Uncle Sev." She pulled Scorpius closer. Severus' portrait eyed the boy and smirked. "Well this is a surprise. I never thought I would see the day a Potter befriended a Malfoy." The portrait looked amused. "Albus will hate that he missed this."

Scorpius stepped forward to examine the man in the painting. "how do you know me sir?"

Severus gave a small smile to Lily, "Not the brightest is he?" Looking back at Scorpius he continued, "I was Head of House for your father. And I must say the resemblance is uncanny. In your father's 7th year, I was Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Lily interrupted, "Dad had these two frames made for the two professors so they could come visit. He always said Uncle Sev was the bravest man he knew and Professor Dumbledore was his mentor. I've grown up with them watching out for me." She smiled up at the portrait who was doing his best not to roll his eyes."

"Well my dear child, I really must get going. I am sure Albus would love to hear from you soon." With a curt nod, the portrait faded to black.

Now Oz stood before the same portraits, but it seemed that the professors were busy, because no one came. Lily put a hand on the frame.

"Must be having a meeting. Of course, it could be Professor Snape, he never did like to be summoned." Harry leaned against the wall smiling at the three teens. "Nice to see you could make it Oz." Oz started at her dad calling him by name, but he quickly recovered.

"Thank you for having me sir." Lily looked at Oz's face. _Was he blushing? No, he couldn't be. Oz never shows that kind of emotion._

Lily blinked, and looked again. There was no hint of the faint blush she could have sworn had been there. _Must have been imagining things._ Harry stepped into the room.

"Are you almost ready? Your mum is there and we leave shortly."

"Yes Dad. I was just finishing the tour." Harry ruffled his daughter's hair which earned him a slight glare. Harry chuckled.

"Just be grateful you got your mother's hair and not my mess. You would never be able to tame it otherwise." Lily rolled her eyes but smiled at her father. "OK, Lily Bean, five more minutes and we are off to the Burrow." Harry headed up the stairs to make sure everyone was ready to go. Lily and the two boys dashed to the fireplace to wait for everyone else. Oz looked at her,

"So why do you have your party so early. I mean you don't turn 16 until Halloween."

"So my family can celebrate with me. We started doing this when Teddy went off to school. It is just a way to have a little birthday celebration together. Teddy and James celebrate around Christmas and Albus celebrates when we come home for summer."

She turned to the sound of a stampede. James, Hugo, Rose, Albus and Blain all came barreling into the kitchen. Harry followed close after. "If you want to apparate, you can, assuming you know where you are going. However, for those of you who do not know where they are going, or they do not have their license yet, we will take the floo." With a wicked look, Scorpius, James, Albus, Rose and Blain all dashed out of the yard leaving Hugo, Lily and Oz to use the Floo with Harry.

The group reunited at the Burrow a few moments later. Scorpius looked bored, "Took you long enough Lily."

"You just wait until I hit seventeen next year. You will be in for it." Scorpius gave her a wry smile.

"I'm shaking already." He said, laughing at her. She tossed her hair in a haughty way and grabbed Blain and Oz.

"Obviously I need to spend time with more mature people." She gave him a mock glare before pulling the two boys along with her. Blain laughed and tossed an arm around her, pulling her close to his side.

"You can always spend time with me Lils."

"Thanks Blain. At least you care."

Scorpius laughed and ran behind them, grabbing Lily by the waist and pulling her from Blain. "You know I love you Lily. If it makes you feel better, I will shake in my boots every time you point your wand at me in school. I still remember that damn Bat Boogy hex you are so talented at." Lily laughed as he swung her around.

"That's better. Now you finally admit I'm the better witch." She winked at him when he placed her feet on the floor. With that, they all ran off to see the rest of the family.

During the day, they mingled with everyone they could find. Cousins, uncles, aunts and friends were everywhere. Oz did better than they thought he would. He was standoffish at first, but Harry helped by drawing him into conversation. Soon the two were chatting like old friends. He winked at Lily and he took Oz off to meet some more family.

He introduced him to Uncle Percy, and the two were soon lost in conversations about the ministry and regulations. Ginny was next to Ron and Lily and muttered. "Dear Lord, one was bad enough." But she had a smile in her voice.

Around the corner came Teddy and his wife Victoire. The two had married Christmas of Lily's third year. They were disgustingly happy and Lily always smiled when she saw them. Teetering behind them was the latest addition to the family. A little boy with bright blue eyes laughed and smiled at the family around him. It was a wonder that he ever learned to walk because he never seemed to be on the floor. As soon as someone saw him, he was lifted into the air and passed around.

Harry had been so proud when the two had been married. He had watched Teddy grow up and he now worked with the young auror daily. Harry had also been a bit overwhelmed when they couple had announced that they wanted to name the young child after someone very important to Teddy.

The little tike took after his dad and was a metamorphmagus. Right now, little Harrison Theodore Lupin looked very much like Harry Potter. You could always tell the last person to hold Harrison because he took on their characteristics. He was just over a year old and everyone doted on him.

From the looks of it, the second one wouldn't be long in coming. She smiled as Scorpius scooped the small child up and swung him around. Scorpius had been drawn to the young boy and the two bonded instantly. Whenever he had the chance, he played with little Harrison. Harrison laughed loudly and pumped his chubby little arms in delight.

Molly Weasley was laughing about how she had to knit all year in order to keep up with all the sweaters needed for Christmas now. Arthur Weasley was talking to Harry and Hermione about his latest muggle find. Ron was talking to Teddy about an auror case he had. Cousins were playing games and talking quidditch all around her. Uncles and aunt were sitting around the living room, sipping at drinks and talking and watching their children. All through it all, Scorpius stood at her side. Every once in awhile, Blain would come by, but seeing Scorpius, he kept walking. Rose came over to talk to her while Scor played with Harrison.

Lily eventually sat back and took in the entire scene. It made her feel so warm and comfortable. This was her family and she would have it no other way.

All too soon, the party was over and the guests slowly departed. Everyone left that night feeling tired yet contented. With a soft smile, those staying with the Potters said goodnight. They stumbled to their beds and all fell asleep with happy and contented dreams, never dreaming what would come this year.

XXXXXXXXX

The next few weeks flew by. Scorpius stayed with the Potters for two weeks before going home. Oz had stayed for a day or two and Blain was seen popping in and out for the next few weeks, but eventually it all settled down. Harry took them into Diagon alley to collect their school supplied and before they knew it, they were all standing at the train station preparing for another year at Hogwarts.

Rose and Scor had been chosen as Head Boy and Girl. Al was the team captain for the Gryfindor quidditch team. Lily and Hugo had become prefects much to Scorpius' delight.

"Do they realize we pull half the pranks here? I mean this is just like giving us a license to continue. Who will question a prefect out after dark? I mean we are just doing our rounds." The others had all laughed in agreement.

After hugs and kisses, they all piled into a compartment. It was a bit cramped, but they would have it no other way. Blain, Rose, Hugo, Lily, Albus, Oz and Scorpius settled in. Lily sat with Blain on one side and Scorpius on the other. Rose sat between Oz and Albus and Hugo sprawled on the compartment floor rather than try to force his way onto a bench. They laughed and flagged down the trolley. Every once in awhile, one would get up to do a quick round but they were soon back for more joke planning.

"I was thinking we could get the suits of armor to dance this year. It would be great especially during dinner."

"What about turning all the school robes pink?"

"I know, we could start planting…" but Lily heard no more. It was her turn to start rounds. She smiled and shook her head at the antics of her friends. Lily was almost finished with rounds. She had made it to the back of the train and she was heading back. Something was bothering her. She could feel an itch on the back her neck, almost as if someone was watching her. She scanned the hall, but saw no one. _You are just being paranoid._

Lily had made it to the doorway between cars. She was standing next to the door leading to the outside. Through the window she saw scenery pass by. For the briefest second, she saw a flash of dark, hate filled eyes, and then a blindfold was wrapped around her eyes and a whispered silencing spell kept her quiet. Before she could grab her wand, her assailant grabbed it.

"Tut tut Potter, can't let you have that. It wouldn't do to have you get away this time." The voice was so soft, Lily almost didn't hear the words. The voice grew hard. "You shouldn't have come back Potter. All these years of trying and you are still here." The voice grew soft again. She could feel the lips whispering softly in her ear. "But I will remedy that situation. Goodbye Potter."

Lily couldn't scream, she couldn't move. The voice whispered a body bind curse and Lily heard the train door open. With a shove, Lily tumbled out of the train.


	4. The Rescue

Lily couldn't move, the body bind curse made sure of that. The blindfold was still in place, but she could feel her body fall. She could feel the air as it rushed past her face and then she felt the impact of ground. It knocked the wind out of her and yet she could do nothing to help that fall. Her body began to roll.

She could feel the rocks scrape her body as she picked up speed. Her head hit a rock and it snagged the blindfold. Lily continued to roll downhill with no way to stop herself. She was bloody and raw and she was not slowing down. That was when she saw it. It was a huge stone on the outskirts of a small forest.

She felt a scream well up in her throat, but she could do nothing to stop the inevitable. She hit the rock formation full force. She felt the sickening crunch of bones breaking. Her body slammed to a stop and her head smacked the rock.

Lily felt woozy. She felt bloody trickle down her face. The grass was cool on her skin and soon goosebumps formed. Her warm cloak was still on the train and she had yet to change into her school uniform. She was still in her summer clothes and she could smell the change in the air. A storm was coming, and it was going to be a big one. A tear slipped down her cheek and mingled with the blood. Her wand was gone, she couldn't seem to fight out of the hex and everyone still thought she was on rounds. To top it off, her head was pounding and her vision was getting fuzzy. Finally, she succumbed to darkness.

XXXXXXXXXX

On the train, her friends were starting to worry. Albus opened the compartment door and looked out. He turned to the others and shook his head. No sign of Lily. "She must have had something detain her. Maybe she stopped a fight."

Scorpius felt a tickle in the back of his mind. Something was not right, but for the moment they had no reason to think anything was wrong. The compartment became restless as minutes ticked by. Rose tried to put everything into perspective. "We really have nothing to worry about. This is Lily we are talking about. She can take care of herself and then some. She is probably giving some first year hexing tips as we speak."

The others nodded, but no one looked convinced. Lily had been gone much too long. The rounds usually only took ten minutes or so. Lily had been gone for three times that long. They tried to hold a conversation, but no one was listening to the others. Their ears were trained on any sound coming from the hallway.

After an hour, they were no longer fooling themselves. Something was definitely wrong. Lily did not just up and leave. Scorpius quickly jumped into action as a leader. He sent Rose and Hugo to check the front end of the train. Blain and Albus took the middle while he and Oz took the back. As they all split up the first sounds of the thunderstorm started. Lightning lit up the train's interior and rain beat at the windows. With somber faces, they all headed off to do a thorough search of the train.

Scorpius was starting to feel panicked. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Oz go start the search. I'll be right there." With a curt nod, Oz rushed down towards the end of the train. Scorpius quietly closed the compartment door and reached into his moleskin pouch. It had been a gift for his 17th birthday from the Potters. Harry had explained that no one but himself could open the pouch and now he carried it with him everywhere he went.

Inside the pouch was a folded piece of worn parchment and a small mirror. Behind that were smaller pieces of parchment, rolled up and carefully placed in. They were all the pictures Lily had given him for his birthday. He touched one softly. Every birthday he was given a new drawing and he carried them all with him everywhere.

He shook his head. _Now is not the time to get sentimental._ He grabbed the mirror. "Lily!" He called her name and waited for her face to appear, but nothing happened. The mirror remained dark. He tried again. When her face still did not appear, Scor became very agitated. "Lily Luna Potter, you answer me right now. If this is some kind of joke then it is not funny! Do you hear me? Pick up your mirror right now!"

His hands were shaking, but nothing brought forth Lily's face. He forced himself to take deep breaths. Carefully he placed the mirror back into the moleskin pouch. He looked into the luggage rack and saw Lily's school bag. He pulled it down and shuffled through the papers, books, and quills. He saw it, the small mirror that went everywhere with her. _Shit!_

Scorpius hastily shoved everything back into the bag. Scorpius ran out of the compartment and down to meet up with Oz. Every compartment was looked in. The hallways were searched and the bathrooms were checked. An hour after the search began there was still no sign of Lily Potter. The six friends all stood in the compartment at a loss. What do you do in this situation? There were no professors on the train. Behavior was dealt with by the Head Boy and Girl and the prefects. Rose, who seemed to know everything and anything, was even at a loss. Where could Lily have gone?

Hugo punched at the door. "Where could she be?"

"I don't know." Rose placed a hand on his shoulder. "We are almost to the school now. We'll just have to get to the professors."

Scorpius interrupted, "But the train will leave. What if she is hurt on the train and we just can't find her? Someone needs to keep the train here."

"Leave that to me." Blain headed towards the door with his school bag. The others sat down, unsure of what to do next. There was no conversation. Each was lost in their own thoughts, watching the rain beat down on the train. Scorpius put a hand on the window, feeling the cool glass. He rested his head on the glass and closed his eyes. _Where are you Lil?_

XXXXXXXX

The driving rain managed to wake the witch in question. She woke slowly, her head still pounding. Slowly she blinked her eyes. Every movement brought a fresh wave of pain. She let out a groan and tried to roll over. The rain felt like knives on her exposed skin. She struggled to a sitting position, but soon collapsed in pain. It hurt everywhere.

It hurt to breathe, it hurt to sit, and her leg was at an unusual position. Lightning lit the sky and Lily realized she needed to find shelter. Looking down she knew there was no way she could walk. Looking just past the rock formation, she saw a small copse of trees. It was not ideal, but it was better than nothing.

Slowly she rolled to her stomach, feeling as if her chest was on fire. Painfully, she pulled herself towards the trees. Lightning lit the sky again, and the trees seemed so far away. Lily put her head on her arms; it felt like an impossible task. She was cold, shivering, and yet her body felt on fire. Everything hurt. She felt like she was going to pass out again and her stomach began to feel queasy.

Another strike of lightning, and something snapped in her. _I will not give up, I will not give in. I am the daughter of Harry Potter and this will not stop me._ With a burst of energy and drive, Lily continued to pull herself towards the only shelter she could find.

XXXXXXXXXX

The train had pulled up to their stop. Blain was still no where to be seen, but the others all dashed out. They didn't even wait for a carriage but instead began to run full speed for the castle in the distance.

They crashed though the doors, dripping wet and out of breath. There were no professors to meet them. It was still at least fifteen minutes before other students would start to arrive. They started to run towards the Great Hall, and they ran into Professor McGonagall.

The startled professor picked herself up. "What is the meaning of this?" They all started to explain at one time. McGonagall put up her hands. "One at a time please. Mr. Malfoy, you first."

After a few minutes, the professor's frown became more and more worried. With a quick turn she gestured to the small group to follow her. They all followed silently, but quickly. Within moments they were all standing in her office watching as she sent word to keep the train in the station.

Next, she looked up at one of the portraits on the wall. Only then did Scorpius see portraits he recognized. She spoke to the portrait of Professor Snape. "Severus, please tell Harry and Ginny we need to see them now. It is urgent." With hardly a glance, he was gone.

Moments later the floo flared to life and Harry and Ginny Potter rushed out. He didn't seem to notice the others in the room. He looked straight at the Headmistress. "What's wrong Professor?"

"It seems that one of your children had disappeared off the train. Talking with those with her, she went on rounds some time ago and never came back. They checked through the entire train and found no sign." At these words Ginny stepped forward.

"How is that possible?"

"I do not know." Harry meanwhile had spotted Albus. Scorpius saw it dawn on him who was missing. He quickly pulled his son into a brief, fierce hug. Professor McGonagall interrupted.

"Harry, I leave this to you. Anything you need, please call. I need to go to the feast and keep track of the others that are there. It will not do to have them running around trying to help at this time; I believe it will only get in the way." She placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder and gave a squeeze. "She'll be fine. Remember she takes after Harry, and I believe he came out of a few little adventures just fin while in school."

Ginny gave her a wry smile before turning to Harry. "What are we going to do?"

Harry was quiet for a moment. Scorpius could see him gathering his thoughts. When he looked up he stared at Ginny. "You are going home."

Before he could finish Ginny broke in with an angry growl, "No I won't. my daughter is out there and I will damn well stay here and help everyone find her! You cannot send me home just because you don't want me out there!" Harry held up his hands.

"Ginny, calm down. I wouldn't dream of that. Just listen. I need you to go home and get your coin." This confused Scorpius a bit, but it seemed to make sense to the Potter family. "Then I want you to call Teddy and get him over here. Call Ron too. Have Hermione head off the rest of the family. Until we know what help we need, extra bodies will just slow us down. Have Ron get a hold of James and have him call in a small auror team."

"When you get back here, I want you to take James and Al and search the train again. Make sure she isn't on that train if you find anything, use your coin." Ginny nodded, grateful for the ability to do something. She jumped back into the fire and was gone. Rose came forward.

"What can we do Uncle Harry?" The other nodded. They wanted to help. Harry looked thoughtful again.

"I want you all here. Rose, do me a favor and go and get Professor Longbottom." Rose ran out the door. "I need you to go to the feast." Harry again held up his hands to stop any protest. "Talk to every student you can find. It could help us find out where Lily was when she disappeared and the time she disappeared. If you find out anything, tell Neville and he will let me know."

Just then the floo flared to life again and out came Teddy and Ron. "What's going on mate? Ginny told me to get here. Something about Lily being missing." Harry quickly explained the situation to Ron and Teddy. Ron was quick to recover and he pulled out his wand. A silvery small dog erupted from his wand. It ran off barking. He looked at Harry. "Johnson and McKesson will be here shortly." Harry nodded as James and Ginny came stumbling out of the fire.

Without a word, Ginny grabbed Albus and James and they headed out the door. As they left, Rose returned with Neville Longbottom. Harry quickly explained the situation. With a nod, he led the teens out of the room. Scorpius held back.

"Sir, where do you think she is?" Harry looked at Scorpius. Ron and Teddy were busy deciding the best plan of attack. He walked to Scorpius and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know Scor. My guess, somehow she ended up off that train. I don't know how, but we will find her. I promise you, she will be fine. Look at everyone out helping now, we will find her." Scorpius felt his chest tighten and constrict. He could feel something inside himself breaking. He nodded at Harry and ran out the door before he broke down. He didn't have time for that; he had to help find Lily.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hours passed. The feast was long since over and the students all in their beds. The search party all sat in Professor McGonagall's office, discussing the next strategy. It seemed no one knew what had happened to Lily Potter. Tempers were short and the worry was etched on everyone's face.

Blain had rejoined the group. He had jumped out of the train as it pulled to a stop. Out of his bag he had pulled out James and Fred's new invention, super sticky bubblegum. He had coated all the wheels with the stuff and when the train had tried to pull out, the sticky mess had held it in place. The more the train fought to get free, the stickier the gum became. It had taken Harry and James combined to finally release the train.

The only sign of Lily had been her wand. They had found it shoved into a trash can. Scorpius put his head in his hands; they were no closer to finding her. Harry had tried to get the teens to go to bed, but they were having none of it. They sat up, silent. Everyone was trying for a new plan. Scorpius reached into his moleskin pouch and pulled out the drawing Lily had made for him.

He slowly unrolled them and stared at the sketches she had made him over the years. One was him and Lily sitting by the tree. The next year was a sketch of the common room she had designed. The following year was a picture of him during a quidditch match. His last one was his favorite. After years, Bludger, Lily's falcon, had finally decided he liked Scorpius. It was a sketch of Scorpius holding the fierce bird.

He could see every detail, the feathers, the look in his eyes. Scorpius found himself smiling at the picture. It didn't move the way the portraits did, but it had life. He could picture Bludger and his devotion to Lily in that picture.

Just then, an idea formed. He dropped the picture and looked up. "Bludger."

Harry looked at him, confused, "What?"

"Bludger, use Bludger. I have never seen an animal so devoted to someone in my life. Bludger could find Lily. I mean think about how many times you send an owl to deliver post and they always find the person they need to deliver it too. Bludger feels like Lily is his chick, so the connection is twice as strong. Have him find Lily."

Harry looked at Scorpius and for the first time that night he smiled. "That is brilliant! It is definitely worth a shot." Harry jumped up. A new plan was quickly formed.

"Ron, Teddy, Johnson, and McKenna I need you to get your brooms ready. After we let Bludger go, we are going to follow him. Make sure you have wands at the ready at all times. The weather is better, but it is still bad so I need you to keep sharp."

The men nodded and jumped up to get ready. "As for the rest of you, it is late and we may need a fresh set of eyes later. I need you all to go to your rooms and get some sleep."

Scorpius stood up, "I want to go with you." This was soon followed by everyone else in the room. Harry shook his head.

"No, we don't even know if this will work. I may need you all fresh tomorrow to help with some other ideas." Scorpius was ready to fight the decision, but Ginny placed a motherly hand on his shoulder.

"We know you want to find her, we all do, but if we are all falling asleep at our brooms, we will not help her. We could easily miss her. The best thing you could do is wait here."

Harry looked up and his face softened. I promise you all, the minute we find anything, I will contact Ginny and Neville. They will keep you all informed." He looked straight at Scorpius, "The minute we find her, you will know."

Scorpius nodded. Slowly the group headed off to their prospective rooms. Scorpius and Oz dragged their feet all the way. Neither said a word. In their rooms, Scorpius could not sleep. He tossed and turned and could not sleep. He knew Oz was not asleep, but he was not moving at all.

Hours after Harry and the others left, someone knocked quietly on the dorm door. He opened it to reveal Professor Longbottom. Oz and Scorpius jumped from their beds, eager for any news. The professor's face was grave.

"They found her. They will be here momentarily." The two boys rushed down the stairs as quietly as possible, hoping not to wake any others.

Scorpius raced to the hospital wing. He rounded the corner and stopped. There was Harry, carrying a wet soggy bundle. The bundle was bruised and bloody. Arms and legs were sticking out at odd angles, and in the light from the torches, the body looked blue.

Scorpius followed Harry into the infirmary. He watched Madam Pomfrey begin to work, but all he could focus on was Lily's face. There was no color, the lips were blue, and there was blood all over. Lily Potter looked very very dead.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sorry for cliffhangers, they just make such nice endings ;) Thanks for reviews, hope you all like it so far.


	5. Hospital Stays and Practical Jokes

Lily woke slowly. The first thing she noticed was that she was warm. A blanket weighed heavily on her chest, but it just felt so good. She gave a sigh and noticed her chest was no longer on fire.

The second thing she noticed was that her hand was much too heavy. She couldn't lift it. It was then she realized that someone was breathing next to her ear. She desperately wanted to open her eyes, but they refused to cooperate. She struggled, trying to force the heavy lids open.

After a few tries one eye slowly opened. A few more tries and the second soon followed. Lily blinked at the bright light streaming through the windows. It took her a few minutes to recognize her surroundings. She was tucked in safe and sound in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Lily almost cried in relief. Soon after she had made it to the tree line, she had passed out from pain and cold. _They found me, thank Merlin they found me._

Lily could still hear gentle breathing in her ear. She turned her head and came face to face with a sleeping Scorpius. His hair looked a mess and he looked as if he had not shaved recently. The rough blond hair on his face made him look older and gave him a different look. She looked down and saw he was the reason she could not move her hand. He was holding it in a death grip. She couldn't even wiggle her fingers. Not that she felt she could move. Her body was exhausted and every move seemed to take energy from her.

She turned her head the other way and saw her dad sleeping in a chair, his wand out and at the ready. He too looked as if he had missed a shave or two. Worry lines etched his face even in sleep. She didn't like them to worry. Lily struggled to sit up, to show them she was fine, but she just couldn't move and her head fell back with a gasp of pain.

That small sound must have alerted Scorpius to her newly awakened state because his head was up and off the pillow within seconds. He stared at her with wide worried eyes. The usual twinkle was gone from the pale blue orbs. She saw the worry lines form on his face and she didn't like them. Sheer will forced her hand to move to his face. Gently she smoothed away the tiny lines from his forehead. That seemed to break him from his morning stupor.

"Lily?" She struggled again to sit up, but he put a gentle hand on her shoulder making her lie back. "Just stay there. You gave us quite a scare." He reached a hand to her brow and smoothed errant strands of hair from her face. She could see he was trying to make light of the situation. She wanted to tell a joke, make him laugh, anything to bring the twinkle back, but she couldn't even summon the strength to talk. He seemed to understand, and he gave her a soft smile.

"I thought you promised me you would try to stay out of the hospital wing this time. I mean we don't even make it to school this year and you are already here." Before she could reply, Scorpius glanced over at Harry. He cleared his throat loudly. Harry woke with a start, raising his wand in the process. His eyes met with Scor.

"Look who decided to rejoin the land of the living." Harry was on his feet and next to the bed. His eyes scanned her and settled on her face. He smiled, and a smell tear leaked from the corner of his eye.

"Welcome back Lily Bean. Try not to scare me like that again. My poor old heart can't take it." Again she struggled to sit up, to communicate, and again she was pushed back, this time by Harry. "No love, Madam Pomfrey says no exerting yourself until she has checked you over. And I know you, if you sit up, we won't get you to lie back down."

Lily tried to say something, to let him know she understood, but as she tried to speak, she began to cough violently. Scorpius was again by her side, this time with water. He placed a straw to her lips and she sucked at the water eagerly. "Slowly Lils, you don't want to over do it."

After the water she tried again. Her voice came out rough and scratchy, but she could talk again. "How long have I been out?" Harry took her hand.

"Three days. When we found you, you were out of it. You have been sleeping ever since."

Lily nodded and she felt the last of her energy drain from her body. Scorpius saw her eyes droop. "Take a nap Lily, we'll be here when you wake up." Again darkness claimed her.

XXXXXXXX

Over the next few days stories were exchanged. Family all rushed to her side, hugging her and making sure she really was fine. James took a few days off of work to sit with her despite her protests. It seemed she was never alone. They was always someone in the room and she was going mad.

But the minute she had mentioned the voice and the fact that someone had pushed her out of the train and that the same person had basically taken credit for her past 'accidents' her family had been on red alert.

There was always an auror outside her door now and the family was taking turns being by her bedside. It had been almost humorous at first, but three days later she was ready to scream. She couldn't even leave the damn infirmary without being surrounded by at least three people.

Her family had reacted the way she knew they would react. Albus had grown quiet. She could see his mind going over all the people in school trying to figure out who it was. James had been livid, already planning on hexing everyone he thought was giving her a rude look. Luckily her dad had been there and he quickly shot down that idea with simple logic. "If someone is after Lily, they are not going to show any overt signs that they do not like her James." This had resulted in a very surly James over the next few days. He felt like he was helpless and this left him extremely grumpy.

Her parents were taking it in stride. Of course, Harry had set up a round the clock auror watch. Part of the job perks. He tried to make light of the situation, hoping to calm frazzled nerves, but the ever present auror was driving Lily up the wall. Teddy was one of them and he was taking it very seriously. He watched Lily's every move and his wand was out most of the time.

Scorpius had followed James' plan. He had been furious and he spent much of the time pacing the floors. He would have spent all his time up in the hospital with Lily but her dad had sent him to class. He had to go on with his days as normal as possible because it was a very big year for him. Scorpius had tried to argue, but Harry had put his foot down, and Scorpius grumbled but he went to class. It had helped to take his mind from their little problem, at least for a little bit so in the end he thanked Harry for sending him.

Lily slumped back on her bed. The first week back quite honestly sucked. She was bored and now her dad was talking about full time auror watch until the student responsible was caught. That had been the last straw and she and Harry had a very loud argument. They did not often fight, but this was one of the few.

"Dad, I can't enjoy my year if I am constantly being watched. It is going to distract me."

"Sorry Lily, this is not up for discussion. There is someone that wants to hurt you and they have sent you to the hospital wing more than once. If we had found you a day later, you would most likely not be here. This person means business."

"But this is ridiculous. Now I know to watch out and I have my friends."

"Which didn't help you on the train."

"Because I was by myself. Look I promise to always have someone with me now that I know, but Dad, I cannot go through my year with someone always there watching me."

"Lily, this is your safety we are talking about."

"You went through your years at school with someone trying to hurt you and you didn't have anyone other than your friends."

"Yes, but we knew who it was. Besides, this isn't me this is my daughter."

Finally Lily had understood and she had calmed herself down. "Dad, I'm not going anywhere."

"That's right, because I am going to prevent it."

Lily decided a new approach was needed. She went and kneeled in front of her dad and took his hands in hers. "Do you remember what I said when someone suggested I stay home until this person was caught?"

He gave a slight smile. "Of course. That would mean someone else was controlling your life and your decisions. You would be giving them what they wanted."

"Exactly. By having someone always following me, I would be letting them change my security in my own school. I cannot let this person control my life Dad. I have my friends and I will be careful I promise. But please do not let this person control my life."

Finally Harry bent his head. "Ok Lily, you win." She jumped up and hugged him. "But you will be taking extra precautions. Let me take care of it." She had nodded eagerly.

XXXXXXXXXXX

That was how she ended up with all her new toys. Harry had decided that if she was turning down extra security he would make sure her wand could not be thrown away again. It was something he had been developing with Hermione and Ron. It was a wand holster that strapped to your hip. The holster was designed to recognize a signature and only a person with that signature could remove the wand. It was something they were only now starting to perfect, but Harry had wanted her to have it anyway.

She was also given her own mole skin pouch so that she could keep certain things with her at all times. Her mirror, parchment, and a number of products from her uncle including darkness powder were all added to the bag which was to be worn at all times.

Needless to say, when she was finally released from her bed she was a very happy girl. She received hugs and kisses from her parents. She received advice from Teddy and James. She was smothered by Grandma Weasley, and the minute she stepped from the infirmary, she was surrounded by her friends.

At first, she was so grateful to be out of the room that she didn't mind the hovering. Her friends meant well, but a week later she was ready to strangle them all. To get down to spend her mornings with Scor someone had to walk with her to the all house common room. Scorpius would meet her there and they would walk together.

When she went to the loo, Rose was always next to her. In the library, at dinner, in her room, in the common rooms, everywhere she went someone was there. Lily usually loved to spend time with people, but this was just ridiculous. Even in the showers Rose made sure to be there. She couldn't enjoy a bath without someone staring over her shoulder.

Finally she had snapped, threatening to curse anyone who came within ten feet of her. Lily did not explode easily, but when she was angry, you knew to back away. Even Scorpius was keeping his distance.

After a peaceful hour in the library and a long luxurious bath to relax her nerves, Lily had gone back to the common room and apologized for her outburst. Soon after that, things had gone back to normal. Her friends remained closer to her than normal, but at least she was allowed some privacy again.

XXXXXXXX

A few weeks went by and everyone seemed to settle back down. Harry and Ginny sent more letters looking for reassurances that she was still doing fine. Lily was still wary of empty halls and dark corners, but she continued on. She was not going to let someone run her life.

Scorpius had been grumpy and overly protective but he was finally returning to his old playful self. He began to tease her about hospital visits and giving her a hard time about not having any stead boyfriend. She teased about his playboy ways in return.

While they all loved the teasing, it was turning out to be a very long year and it had only started. They were all in testing years and that meant that the homework was longer and more difficult. They spent most nights in the all house common room helping each other study and write long essays. The small group had not even had time to pull their first prank of the year.

That was what Lily thought anyway. It seemed Scorpius had taken it on himself to use Lily in a small prank of his own on a 6th year boy from Ravenclaw. Unfortunately it backfired. He had tried to lure the young Ravenclaw into a water balloon trap. Scorpius told him that Lily had wanted to meet him and he set up a time and place for the two to meet.

It also happened to be a day Lily was out looking for Scorpius. She was walking to the all house common room to look for him when she stumbled upon the young man just before Scorpius had launched his first balloon. Unfortunately Lily had seen this trick before. She smiled at the young man and raised her wand behind her back. The water balloon levitated from Scorpius' hands and sailed right at him. She was gratified to hear the gasp as the cold water soaked her friend.

With that she and the young man headed down the hall. That was how she met Marcus Hampton. The two soon started to go out much to Scorpius' chagrin. When he tried to complain that she didn't spend as much time with him anymore, she would reply that he should have kept her out of his little prank.

Lily had started to date Marcus because he seemed like a nice guy but also as a way to teach Scor a little lesson. But she found she enjoyed the time she spent with Marcus. He laughed at her jokes and would just sit next to her as he studied. He was quiet and shy and she felt very relaxed with him.

The only one he seemed to not get along with was Scorpius.

XXXXXXXXXX

OK, cheesy I know. I'm not sure if Marcus will last yet or not. Anyway, let me know what you think.


	6. Long Talks

Weeks later Scorpius and Lily could be found sitting at their tree wrapped in warm cloaks and drinking warm pumpkin juice

Weeks later Scorpius and Lily could be found sitting at their tree wrapped in warm cloaks and drinking warm pumpkin juice. It was getting colder and they wrapped Scor's self warming blanket around their shoulders. Lily leaned her head against the rough tree bark. Scorpius moved closer to her trying to maintain the warmth under the blanket as a bitter wind swept down the hill.

Lily lifted her head and moved under his arm. Her head leaned back on his shoulder. Wide copper eyes stared up at ice blue. "So, did you ever get a chance to talk to Blain?"

Scorpius frowned. "No. I still don't know what his problem is. Every time I get him on his own he has some excuse. He forgot a book in the tower or he promised to meet someone for lunch. And every time we are in a group, he is always in conversation with someone else."

Lily's forehead wrinkled as she contemplated this information. "What have you done lately that could upset him?"

"That's the problem, I don't know. I haven't done anything differently. You know I have been thinking that it could have something to do with you." Scorpius said this with a slight hesitation in his voice. It immediately caught Lily's attention. She raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"How so?"

"Well, it just seems that when I am with you, he is even more standoffish, more unlike himself."

Lily brightened, "Scor, maybe that's it."

"What's it?"

"Well, you and I spend an awfully lot of time together. You used to do that with Blain. Maybe he's jealous."

Scorpius shook his head. "No, he has been fine with the amount of time I spend with you. Besides, he has Albus. We haven't spent a lot of time with each other for years Lily. I doubt that would cause him to be jealous now. Sorry only one thing makes sense to me right now."

"What's that?"

"He has a thing for you?"

"Excuse me?" She was sure she had not heard him right. Lily began to laugh at the thought.

Scorpius pulled away so he could look her in the eyes. Lily stopped laughing at the serious look on his face. "I'm serious Lils. I really think that may be the problem."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Honestly Scor. I have known Blain since I was 10. He isn't thinking I could be his next hook up. He comes over during holidays and we goof around. Trust me, if he thinks of me as anything other than a friend, it's as a sister."

"Lily, he may have known you since you were 10, but you are almost 16 now and, well, you are starting to, well develop." Lily laughed at his slight blush.

"Scor, if you are referring to my chest, I've had those since I was 13."

"No you haven't."

"Just because you haven't noticed them before doesn't mean others were that blind."

"Is that why you're dating the current moron?"

"Scor, you don't even know Marcus. How could you call him a moron?"

Scorpius crossed his arms, "I know the type. Hell Lily, he's probably only going out with you because of your looks."

"So my personality and brains have nothing to do with it?" She could see it dawn on him that he had stuck his foot in his mouth again. He paled slightly and tried to recover it. _It was kind of cute to see him squirm. _

"That wasn't what I meant Lily. I just mean, he may not have the purest intentions, and you, well you are just so young."

Lily laughed, "Young? Scor, I'm only a year and a half younger than you. And you want to tell me again about the latest girl you are dating? Tell me Scor, what was the first thing you noticed about her?"

Scorpius scowled at her, "It's different with guys."

"So you admit that your intentions with your current girl aren't pure?" _This was too easy to rile him up._

"You are taking that out of context Lily!"

She laughed. "You are too easy. Look, I value your opinion, I really do, but when was the last time you talked to a boyfriend of mine?"

"Well, I did have a little conversation with the last one, Michael or something."

"Yeah, after we broke up. You don't even say hello to them. I am sure if you talked to Marcus you would like him."

"I doubt it. C'mon Lil, he's not your type."

"And what exactly is my type Scor?"

"Someone who can give you a challenge. I don't see Dufus giving you that challenge."

"Scor, that's not fair, you haven't even talked with him. He is a very nice guy with a great sense of humor." Shy gave him a sly smile, "It is a lot like your sense of humor so I think you would be surprised how much you like him."

He huffed, "Well if he is so much like me, what do you need him for?" Lily smiled a knowing smile.

"Because he can give me something you can't."

"What is that?"

"I good snogging." _Oh it had been worth it. _Scorpius' face when beet red. He looked at her with his mouth hanging open. She popped it close laughing at him.

"Really, what did you think Marcus and I did when we went to the library."

"Studying!"

"Please, like you 'study' with your girlfriends in there? Scor, I've seen them after your study sessions, they are certainly not cracking books in there with you."

"Lily, stop, I'm sorry, I just can't do this."

"Why?"

"You are too young to be making out with some guy in the library."

"You said it yourself, I'm almost 16. Besides, what's the big deal?"

"The fact that you are my friend and I have to now picture you necking with some little wimp from Ravenclaw."

"This is why James never knew about my boyfriends."

"Why?"

"Because he would have acted the way you are now. You know I never act this way around your girlfriends."

"Please when was the last time you actually met one of my girlfriends?"

"Hmmm, I think it was Mary."

"Mary…I dated her in 4th year."

"I know. You have only had one girlfriend that was really OK with us being friends and she dumped you. Hmmm, come to think of it, I think she was the only decent girlfriend you had. Hmmm, I do miss Mel."

It was his turn to give her a sly smile. "Ouch. Please, my other girlfriends would be fine with it. You just scare them."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, when you get pissed, you can be really scary. And if I'm supposed to meet your boyfriend and be nice, you could do the same."

"Sure, I'll meet your girlfriend Scor. As soon as one lasts longer than two months." She winked and stuck out her tongue out at him.

"Not my fault you don't get as much action as me."

"Not my fault I have more discretion than you either." By now the two were enjoying their little game. "And I am getting plenty of action, thank you."

"Again, not a picture I want."

She gave him an innocent look. "But I thought as a friend, I was asexual. So what's the problem?"

Scorpius actually laughed "I'm never going to live that down am I?"

"Not a chance in hell."

Scorpius chuckled and slung his arm back around her shoulders. "What would I do without you Lily?"

"Hmmm, I don't think you want to know."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Later in the all house common room, Lily sat with Marcus going over homework and telling jokes. They had been dating a few months now. Scorpius was out with his latest girl. Milly or Tilly, or something. She smiled at the joke Marcus was telling and cuddled closer to him. They did get along great and everyone seemed to really like him.

Lily looked up at the fire. She saw Blain sitting there staring at the fire. Thinking back to the conversation she had with Scor, she felt a pang in her chest. She hated seeing the two friends fight, especially when one didn't know why they were fighting.

Leaning close to Marcus, she whispered, "I'll be right back." He gave her a wide smile.

"No problem. Hurry back, I want you to look over my potions essay."

She giggled. "So that's what we were doing?" She winked and headed to the fire.

Blain was frowning into the fire. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he jumped. With huge eyes, he stared up at her. "Lily! What are you doing here?"

She sat down and took his hand. "I just wanted to have a little talk."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Hmmm, so I wonder what they should talk about. OK, so do you want to see him falling for Lily or not? I have two directions this can go. Hope you like. Sorry, short chapter and a lot of dialog.


	7. Fixing Friendships

Blain and Lily settled more comfortably in the soft chairs in front of the fire. It was warm and inviting, but the look on Blain's face was for from content. He sat stiffly with his hands clenched in front of him. Lily sat silently, watching him. It was a trick she had learned from her dad. People often did not like silence, and if you sat long enough, they would fill the silence. You often learned the most when not talking.

The minutes stretched on, yet neither spoke. Blain began to fidget and lily forced her body to remain calm and serene. Not an easy task for someone who moved even when she talked. Finally Blain looked up, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"You and Scorpius." Blain scowled at her.

"There's nothing to talk about." And the two lapsed into silence again. Lily sat perfectly still and focused on the fire. She noticed small groups of people wandering off. Some to the library, some to their dorms, and some to meet with other friends. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Marcus get up and stretch. She caught his eye and he mouthed, "I'll see you later." She winked and gave him a small smile. With a slight chuckle, he headed off to his dorm. Still the two remained silent. Finally, with a frustrated sigh, Blain looked up again.

"He's just so…so…Merlin I don't know. He always seems to have girls flock to him. He goes out with them for a few weeks and he dumps them and yet they still flock to him. He knows what he wants to do with his life. He is so sure and cocky and…and…so Scorpius. I used to know what he was thinking just by looking at him and it dawned on me today, I don't know that any more.

I can see he's happier than when we were growing up and that is because of you. You are the one that helps his through problems and the one he talks to. He makes decisions based on what you think and he is always talking about how wonderful you are. So I thought maybe you could help me with some things, but he is always around you, or you are always surrounded, and I always feel like I am intruding on a great party if I go up to you when he is there. You know, I knew you first, and yet I feel like I can't even come over and ask you a simple question when he is around!"

With this out, Blain lowered his head to his hands and took a deep breath. Lily had not moved an inch since Blain had started talking. _Was Scorpius right? Did Blain like her?_ It was Lily's turn to take a deep calming breath. She may regret what she had started later, but she had started it. _Lord please don't let him like me._

"So tell me now. Scorpius is up in the library."

He shot a glance her way, but he remained quiet. She could see him debating the idea of finally talking to her. She rolled her eyes, "Honestly, you boys are impossible. Look Blain, Scorpius is worried about you. He doesn't know what he did wrong and the only thing that makes sense to him right now is that you like me and he is somehow standing in your way."

Blain looked up with a startled look upon his face. He interrupted "Of course I like you."

Lily paled slightly. _Shit._ She was trying to compose an answer to that. An answer that would let him down gently. He was already having a slight crisis over not knowing what he would be doing after Hogwarts and she did not need his pride to be wounded. It would be awkward if she didn't do this right. Blain continued to talk.

"I mean you are like this great little sister that I never had. I mean, it's not like I got to watch you grow up from a baby or anything, but I did get to see you get your first wand and well, you have grown a lot since I first met you."

"You think of me as a sister?" Lily was afraid she had heard wrong and she wanted to make sure she had not.

Blain looked up and gave a sheepish smile. "I know you already have brothers and girls don't like to think of themselves as sisters to other guys, but yeah, I do. I've never had a sibling and you and I just get along so well I think that this must be what it's like." He blushed, "Sorry, I'm rambling on like an idiot."

Lily gave a small laugh of relief. She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm honored that you think of me as a sister."

He looked up at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Really. You are like a combination of James and Al rolled into one. You have James' sense of humor and Al's calm demeanor. I think of you as another brother." Blain smiled at her. "So as your sister, what has been bothering you?"

He laughed at that. "Ok, but only because you are my sister." He gave her a little wink before growing more serious. "I like someone."

Lily waited a few minutes but he didn't continue. "Ok, and who are we talking about?"

Blain heaved a sigh and stared at his hands again. "Someone Scorpius has already dated. That's the problem, I am his friend which means I'm not supposed to date someone he already has and it just started to dawn on me that he has dated a lot of girls. He is making it really hard to ask someone out because he has already dated half the population of Hogwarts." He leaned back with a frustrated shake of his head.

"I see. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news Blain, but how often do you talk to Scorpius about why he decides to no longer see a girl?"

"Well, never. I just know he goes through them within months. It puts a lot of pressure on a guy to ask out someone before he does just so I have a dating option."

Lily laughed "Well, your friend isn't exactly head over heels for these girls. I think the last one laughed funny, or crinkled her nose wrong. This one will probably tuck her hair behind her ears and he will think how annoying that gesture is and he will be done. I love Scorpius, I do, but he is a fickle playboy. The only one that stuck around long enough was Melinda."

She looked up to see Blain blushing. He met her eyes and gave another sheepish grin. "See my problem?"

Lily's eyes went wide, "Ohhhhh." Before he could react, Lily flung herself at him and gave him a hug. "Blain that is wonderful. I should have known you would have taste." She leaned back to look at his startled eyes. "So when are you going to ask her out?"

"What? No, no, I don't think you are following. I can't date Mel, Scorpius already did and I , I , I don't think she even knows I am alive, never mind dating me." He began to stutter more and more and the red color began to creep up his neck.

"You are cute when you blush Blain." This only caused him to blush even more scarlet. She took pity on him. "I know Scorpius wouldn't mind Blain. That was years ago."

"Yeah, but like you said, she's the only one that lasted long enough to meet anyone. What makes it worse is, she dumped him, not the other way around."

"How does that make it worse?"

"Well, she is the one that got away. I think she is the reason he goes through all the girls. He is comparing them to Mel, and they are not Mel. I can't date her Lily. She was the one that actually meant something."

"Well, I have a crazy idea."

"What is that?"

"You could always talk to Scorpius about it. Ask him what he thinks about you dating someone he used to."

Blain held up his hands. "No way. Sorry, Lils, but we guys don't do that. Besides, I don't know if he would be lying to save masculine pride and I would be stuck in the same problem. If I dated her, he could get mad at me and I would be miserable, and if I don't date her I could be miserable. It's a lose lose situation."

They sat for a few minutes watching the fire dance in the grate. She looked up and quietly spoke. "I think you are making a mistake Blain. He had his chance, and I think Scor knows that. You may be right about the many girls, but I think he knows that he and Mel are done. We don't even talk about her at all, and I think I would know if he wanted a second chance with her. It is your choice about what you do. I won't say anything to Scor, but so me a favor and start talking to him again. He really misses you."

Blain sat quietly and nodded, smiling slightly. "And Blain, smile. You aren't going to get any action mopping around." Blain actually laughed at that.

Lily smiled and stood up. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You are a good guy Blain. It all works out in the end." When he looked up and smiled. "One more thing. Don't tell Scor about our talk, please. You are right about the masculine pride and he would hate that you would talk to me and not him."

Blain smiled up at her and nodded. "No problem Lily. Goodnight." She was almost to the door when he looked up. "What am I thinking? You can't go wandering the halls alone at night! Shit Lily, you know better. C'mon, I'll walk you to the dorms."

She rolled her eyes, but she took his arm and the two walked off to Gryfindor tower.

XXXXXXXXXX

The weeks after that sped by. Blain and Scorpius made up much to Scorpius' delight. When Lily passed the two talking and commented Blain had smiled and winked at her. It was turning out to be a wonderful year except for all the work. It seemed that they were always doing homework. Even her mornings with Scor seemed dedicated to homework and studying. Usually she went through a few sketch books a year, but the way this year was going, she would be lucky to finish one.

Scorpius broke up with his first girlfriend of the year so Lily got a chance to see him more often again. Unfortunately for him, she was still seeing Marcus so if he wanted to sit with her, he had to be in the presence of Marcus a lot more. He was trying she noticed. He was civil and had even laughed at some jokes Marcus told.

She was even beginning to feel safer in the halls by herself. Because she had not landed in the hospital wing again, it seemed that her family was starting to breathe easier again and her brothers and Scor were not so adamant about following her everywhere. She smiled at the freedom she was regaining. Her birthday came and went and she was feeling exceptionally happy.

It had started snowing and she found herself outside more often. She would go out, followed by a few friends, and she would start a snowball fight. It became a daily occurrence, a chance to relieve study tensions.

As they neared Christmas, the final Hogmeade trip of the year was taken. Lily went with Marcus, though Scorpius was not happy about it. He was grumpy. Lily always walked in with him and nothing was appeasing him.

"We'll meet up for lunch, but I would like to spend some time with Marcus."

"You are always out with Marcus, what about the rest of us? I don't get to see you as much Lily."

"Quit whining Scor. I see you more of you on my own than I do with Marcus. I promise, we will meet up for lunch and I will spend the rest of the day with you."

Scorpius had not liked it, but he had agreed to meet for lunch. Lily found she really liked spending the time alone with Marcus. Usually they were surrounded by people in the common room or in the library. Every time they snuck off to have the alone time, it always backfired. Someone would stumble on them and it broke the mood, or they would stumble upon another couple. Scorpius and Blain also seemed to be everywhere, always asking them questions or walking with them. They had not had a minute alone in weeks.

It was nice to just talk and not have to worry about including someone else in the conversation. They walked to the shrieking shack and spent a wonderful morning wrapped together. They wandered the streets of Hogsmeade and watched the snow fall. They walked in comfortable silence. She smiled thinking about how she usually only had these silences with Scorpius.

By the time lunch rolled around, the two were ready for the warmth of a fire and a nice butterbeer. Scorpius and Blain were already holding a table for them. Lily slid in grateful for the dry booth and the warm drink. Lily looked at the boys.

"So how was your morning?"

"Pretty good, we did some shopping. You will want to swing by the shop, James is working. Said he is doing a check up on you and he has something new for you to try out." Blain said.

Scorpius just grumped into his butterbeer. _So he's still bent out of shape._ Scorpius looked up, seeming to know what she was thinking.

"I am taking you over there after this. I promised James." He looked at her and smiled unabashedly. She was getting ready to tell him off. She did not take order well, not even from him. He again seemed to read her mind. She saw his eyes soften and his smile became sweeter. "That is, if it's ok with you Lily."

"That's better. I would love to go with you." She turned to Marcus, "Do you want to go? James will be there and possibly my uncle. I don't know if you are up to meeting family right now, I mean we have only been dating a few months and James can be…well intense."

"How intense?"

Lily glanced at Scorpius. "Ok, you know how Scorpius reacted to us first dating?"

"Yeah…"

The other three looked at Marcus, "He's worse." They said together and then they began to laugh. Marcus joined in.

"Hmmm, I think I'll pass on this one." Lily laughed at him.

"I don't blame you. Want to meet up by the gates in a few hours? We can all head to the castle together then."

The plan was agreed upon and they all split up, heading in different directions. Lily and Scorpius headed to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Blain went to find Albus and his girlfriend, and Marcus headed to meet with some of his Ravenclaw friends.

The rest of her afternoon was spent with Scorpius. They stopped by to see James. Then they wandered in and out of shops. Lily was able to do most of her Christmas shopping. Again, she felt the comfortable silence settle over her. This was just as good as this morning. She slipped her hand in his hand as they walked. He smiled down at her with a twinkle in his eye.

"So did you have fun this morning?"

"Yeah, I did. Marcus and I went for a nice long walk and some alone time."

Scorpius snorted, "Yeah I bet." When she glared he added, "Sorry. I really am trying Lily, but it's hard."

"He's a good guy Scorpius."

"I know, but he is taking you away from me, so you can't expect me to be ok with it right away."

"Why Scorpius, how perceptive of you. I am impressed by your honesty."

"Laugh if you want Lils, but it's true. You don't date a ton, so it always takes me awhile to get used to the new one."

"Please, you don't get along with them until we break up." Lily rolled her eyes.

"That's not true."

"Oh no? What about Nathan?"

"He's a great guy. He had a great sense of humor and he was really smart."

"Yeah, that wasn't your opinion until we broke up."

"Yeah, well what about your opinions of my girlfriends?"

"You mean the weekly idiot?"

"See, if I am trying to be good, you could do the same."

"And I told you Scor, I am happy to meet and talk to your girlfriend civilly, as soon as one lasts longer than two months."

"That's not nice." He said while trying not to laugh. It was quickly becoming a running joke between them.

"Sorry, not my fault I have some decent criteria in a partner."

"Hey now, I have criteria."

"Yep, big boobs and a small IQ. Again the only one that was decent was Melinda. How is she by the way?" She might as well use this to help out Blain.

"She's doing well. She says she's still looking for…" He seemed to rethink what he was saying. His words trailed off. _That was odd. _

"Still looking for what?"

"Someone who makes her feel special." But Scorpius wasn't looking at her. _What was this about?_ She decided to look into this, but later.

"So you wouldn't care if she started dating someone else?"

"Huh?" He gave her a blank stare. "Of course not. She deserves to be happy. Of course, I want her to date someone else. I can't be the one to make her happy." Lily smiled at him.

"That's the perfect answer. Your girlfriend qualifications may be substandard, but when it comes to friends, you are the best."

He chuckled. "I know. That's why you put up with me." The two continues toward their rendezvous spot.

Behind them, two black eyes followed them. A low voice laughed. "Have fun Lily. Soon, very soon, I will finish what I started. You have been lucky until now, but not for long."

XXXXXXXXX

Hope you like.


	8. Scorpius is a Magpie?

AN: Sorry it is taking me longer to update than normal. School is back in session so I have been a bit busy. Once things settle down again I will update more quickly. And now, on with the story.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Christmas time came and went. Scorpius came for the annual Christmas party, but Marcus was not quite ready to jump into the family waters. Lily understood, especially when Scorpius and Blain took great pleasure in telling him stories about James, Fred, and a few other choice family members. They were all stories about what they had done to 'defend' Lily when she was younger. Every time one of these stories was told, Marcus would go pale and give them a tight smile.

Lily had started to get very irritated by it all, but once she told them to knock it off, they had just cornered Marcus when she wasn't around. Even the threats that she would make them pay dearly hadn't deterred them. It was maddening.

With the Christmas seasons over, everyone slowly made their way back to school. The noise level raised in the Great Hall as students caught up after a few weeks off. It was during this time that someone new was added to the group. Lily had passed a small group of Slytherins walking from the kitchens to the Great Hall. She heard them snickering as they surrounded a young Hufflepuff. They were debating what hex to try out, and the Hufflepuff was slowly backing against a wall.

Lily glanced around the deserted hall and saw no one in sight. She raised her wand and shouted, "Oy, what in Merlin's name are you doing?" Lily sneered at them as the group whirled around. They seemed at a loss for words. She focused on the one she assumed was the leader. He was definitely the ugliest of them. He was large, with absolutely no neck. He had one eyebrow that stretched across his brow and his face had a piggy look to it. He stared at her stupidly. They said nothing, so Lily spoke again.

"Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort today?" The group scowled at the insult and pointed their wands at her. She glanced over their shoulders and motioned for the Hufflepuff to run for it. She gave a nervous shake of her head. Instead, she scrambled over to Lily and pulled out her wand. The Slytherins laughed.

"What do you want Grifindork?" Lily rolled her eyes.

Lily turned to the girl next to her, "That guy is cruelly depriving a village somewhere of an idiot." The girl laughed.

"He really is an idiot." The girl had a soft, gentle voice and it was getting stronger as she stood with Lily. Piggy gorilla poked his wand at Lily's chest.

"Who are you calling stupid?"

"I don't know, what's your name?" With a roar, he began to brandish his wand at her. A quick stupefy, and he went down. She turned to his friends and hurled hex after hex with lightning speed. They all went down before they had a chance to retaliate. Lily put her wand away and turned from the now unconscious Slytherins. The young girl was staring, wide eyed at Lily. Lily just shrugged,

"They aren't the smartest bunch sometimes, so if you can get them angry, you have the advantage. That's all I did." Lily looked down at the girl. She was classically pretty, almost like a doll. She had pale blond hair that curled around a small angelic face. She was an inch or two taller than Lily, but then again, many people were. Blue eyes shined from her round face. Lily smiled.

"I'm Lily Potter." She reached out a hand. She studied the face; she had seen it before but could not place it. The girl reached out her hand and they shook, sealing the new friendship.

"Hi, I'm Muriel Winters." It clicked. She had heard that name in classes with the Hufflepuffs. Muriel was a 5th year same as Lily.

"Well it's nice to meet you Muriel. I was just on my way to the Great Hall. Care to join me?" The two wandered down the hall, arm and arm. As Lily approached the all house common room, she was bombarded by people. Blain descended along with Lor and Ly. They all shouted a hello and hugged her soon followed by Scorpius asking what had taken so long. Oz gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. Rose and Albus nodded a hello and went back to studying. Hugo gave her a pat on the back and went to sit with his new girlfriend. She smiled, feeling the peace settle over her.

Turning to Muriel, she saw her eyes grow wide. It was the usual reaction when someone new met the group. She was just getting ready to introduce Muriel when Marcus came around the corner. He scooped her into a hug, whirling her around the common room. "What took you so long? They said you were running late." She laughed.

"You are all acting like I have been gone for weeks, not hours."

Scorpius struck a dramatic pose, "Yes, but when we do not have you, it seemed like days." Lily laughed.

"You ham!" Scorpius gave her a mock bow.

"I try. So Lily, who's your friend?"

Lily quickly introduced Muriel and explained how they had met. She was quickly enveloped in hugs, hand shakes, and general chaos, but there was a wide smile on her face.

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Muriel quickly became a full fledged member of their little group and joined them whenever she could. Life was going fairly well. There were only two problems. First, they had to spend most of their time studying. It was starting to consume their lives, and as weeks rolled by, the snow melted and their snowball fights had to stop. Tempers were growing short in the school as exams grew closer and closer. Lily knew they would have to find relief soon, or it would prove to be disastrous.

That led to her second problem: Marcus. They were still great friends, but something was…off. It wasn't quiet right. They laughed and told jokes and shared comfortable silences, but something was still wrong. They no longer snuggled on the chairs the way they used to and kissing him felt awkward and wrong. When it came to these activities, both seemed to feel something wrong and neither knew how to fix it.

She didn't want to go to Scorpius with the problem, because he was just now starting to become civil to Marcus on an everyday basis. It wasn't that they were growing apart either, in fact they were closer than ever. They were not as close as Lily and Scorpius, but that was something Lily did not think anyone would ever be able to do. They talked and laughed and shared stories and secrets, but something was not right, and it was starting to put even more stress on Lily.

Muriel was fitting in nicely and she was really opening up to the group. She was a soft spoken girl, but she had a wicked sense of humor if you got her going. She really enjoyed hanging out with the small group and she and Lily grew close as well. It was turning out to be a wonderful year.

Soon winter turned to spring and exams were closer than ever. Lily decided it was a good thing because it kept her mind occupied. It had started to sink in that her small group of friends was slowly shrinking. Next year Blain, Albus, Rose and Scorpius would all be gone. They would be off following their careers. Rose and Blain were looking into jobs at the ministry. Rose was looking at law while Blain was looking for an auror position.

She didn't know about Albus and Scorpius though. She avoided the topic as much as possible because talking about it made it real. She thought back to the conversation she had with her dad over the summer. She had still spent most of her time with Scorpius and she had not tried to spend time with anyone else. She still had other friends and she knew she was going to be alright, but the closer she got the end of the year, the worse she felt.

Luckily, or unluckily as the case may be, exams were right around the corner and Lily's personal problems were pushed to the back of her mind. She did not have time to focus on what others were doing. Her time with Marcus was cut down even more, but he seemed to understand. When they were together, he helped by quizzing her or by telling jokes and ignoring the fact that exams were just weeks away.

Before they knew it, the exams were under way. The pressure mounted as each exam grew closer. Lily and the other 5th years seemed to spend every waking moment together trying to cram in that one last piece of information. For the first time that she could remember, she did not take the morning to herself. She woke up and met Hugo in the common room. They would wander to the library and meet up with Lor and Ly from Ravenclaw and Muriel from Hufflepuff.

After every exam, the five would go outside and breathe in the fresh air for a little bit before running off to the library to begin studying all over again. From what she could see, the group of seventh years were doing the same thing.

Their final exam this year was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Potions and DADA were her two best subjects, so she went in feeling fairly confident, but it still was nerve racking. When she walked out of that room with her friends following after her, she collapsed in fits of relieved laughter. The entire room of 5th years began to join her and they all ran out to enjoy the sun, free from work for the first time in months. It was a wonderful feeling.

She saw Scorpius not long after that. He had the same joyful look on his face and he quickly scooped her up and kissed her. She felt her lips tingle and somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice protested when the brief contact was severed. His face was glowing and he began to swing her around and Lily could do nothing but join his laughter. She smiled up at him and was shocked to feel herself blushing. _What is going on? This is Scorpius, not Marcus._ But she couldn't stop the slight blush. Luckily, she was already flushed from the earlier exertions.

The group was loud and excited and no one seemed to notice that she was not all the way there. It was like she was just now realizing how much Scorpius touched her. He was always there, somehow touching her. His latest was to pull her back to his chest and to rest his arms on her shoulders with his chin on the top of her head. _Why am I just now noticing this? He has always been like this, don't start reading into anything. Honestly Lily, the stress of the last few months is getting to you._

She mentally shook herself and forced her mind back to the happy group in front of her. They just felt so good about being done that her mind couldn't wander for long anyway. It was something she would have to ponder at a different time. For now she joined in the celebrating.

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Lily was back to spending her mornings sketching. She felt like she had not done enough this year. Scorpius' birthday had been the only one she had finished in a long time, but she was working on a special one for his graduation. After all of the stress the last few months, it was wonderful to sit and not say a word as she sketched. Scorpius spent his morning lying on his back with the sun on his face. He looked so serene and so…kissable. _What! Where did that some from? He was not kissable. Hadn't she told him months ago that he was not snogging material? _

Scorpius looked up with one eye open when the scratching had faded to silence. "You finished?" She sighed, again shaking herself.

"For now. I think my brain is fried." She set everything aside and lay down next to him. They stared up at the sky, watching clouds drift lazily by. Neither talked, but they let the world drift by. It was so nice to be lying there with her best friend without the idea that there was an exam on the horizon. It was the most relaxation either had had for awhile. She grabbed the unopened jug of pumpkin juice and they shared it as they lay there.

Finally Lily turned on her side, propping her head on her hand, she looked down at Scor. It was something she had avoided asking because it made it real, but she had to know. "So what are you planning to do next year?" Scorpius gave her a lazy smile and Lily frowned at the little butterflies that started in her stomach.

"Well, I have been thinking about it a lot. I have been surprised you haven't asked me sooner quite honestly."

"I wasn't ready for the answer. You have been a part of my everyday life for so long, I can't imagine what next year will be like. If I knew what your plans were, I would know they didn't involve me. I guess I was afraid."

Scorpius looked at her, reaching a hand up to cup her face. "You will always be in my plans. You are my best friend Lils. Just because I won't be here doesn't mean I won't be with you every day." His eyes scanned her face, looking for reassurance that she knew he wasn't going to leave her. She held onto the hand on her face.

She smiled. "I know Scor." She sighed, "So what are you going to do?"

He dropped his hand and laughed, "Well actually Al and I have been talking about that. I thought about joining the ministry with Blain and following the life of an auror, and then I started talking to Al. We decided that we both want to pursue something different right now and maybe go to the ministry later on."

"And what is this?"

His eyes gleamed, "We have been in contact with a certain quidditch team and they would like us to come try out."

Lily looked at him in shock, "Where? Which team?"

His smile got wider, "The Montrose Magpies." Lily squealed and threw herself on top of Scorpius.

"That is wonderful! Oh Scorpius, they really want you to try out? I can't believe it! That is just…" She was at a loss for words and she hugged him harder. He laughed and hugged her back, pulling her body closer to his.

"I know, I was so stunned when they started talking to us. But don't say anything to anyone yet, we haven't told anyone we have been approached yet. Not even your parents."

Lily smiled so hard, she thought her face would crack. "Of course. Oh I am so jealous. Promise me I will get to come to games."

"Well, we aren't on the team yet. I just think that it is funny that a Malfoy and a Potter will be on the same team if we do make it."

They lay in each others arms, happy at his future prospects. The sun was warm, and there was a gentle breeze. Soon their eyes began to droop and they fell asleep on the warm grass together.

Neither stirred or even noticed the shadow the stretched over the sleeping forms. Ropes formed out of thin air around Lily. No one else was in sight, so no one saw the dark figure levitating the bound Lily. They were moving in the direction of the lake.

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Sorry that the year went so quickly, but I was having some writers block. I think I am past it for now. Finally, we learn the truth behind the 'accidents'. Wonder who it is? Sorry you have to wait (evil laugh) damn cliffhangers!


	9. Dreaming

Lily blinked feeling like her head was going to explode

Lily was dreaming. She and Scorpius were sitting under their tree. She was sketching as he sat next to her. She was happy and content, but then she realized she couldn't hear him. It was like she was in a bubble and everything he said rolled off her like water.

"Scorpius! Speak up!" But he just sat there, not noticing that she was in trouble. He smiled at her happily and continued to talk. She was helpless to break through the bubble around her. She tried to walk towards him, but her legs wouldn't move. They were stuck like glue to the floor. She was panicking, she couldn't move and he couldn't hear her.

Lily watched his face as he told her about this and that. He looked at her face again, but he didn't seem to notice the panic. She tried again to move, but she felt like a rope was encircling her. It was growing tighter and tighter. Every time she moved, she felt the rope squeeze.

She repeated over and over, this is a dream, this is a dream. Wake up Lily, you need to wake up. She looked at the happy Scorpius and she felt a pang in her chest. She struggled again against that which bound her, but it was useless. In her dream, Scorpius slowly faded and she was left with nothing. Her heart broke and she fell into the abyss. All the while she screamed his name, but he never came for her.

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Lily blinked feeling like her head was going to explode. The pounding in her head increased as her eyes opened and light flooded in. _Where did Scorpius go?_ She tried to turn over and found that she couldn't move. Her entire body felt like it was on fire.

By now she was finally waking up and her brain was turning on. She was not on the soft grass by her tree and the lights came from torches scattered across dark stone walls. Lily tried to move her arms so that she could sit up, but ropes held her practically immobile. She forced herself to remain calm as she took stock of her surroundings. She could hear water dripping off of dark stone walls. She was in a small cavern and the ground was wet.

The light from the torches cast dark shadows that danced across the cavern walls. It left large pockets unlit so Lily did not know if she was alone or not. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She calmed herself down and began to focus on the noise in the cavern. It may have been small, but tiny noises magnified. She heard her own breathing; she pushed that out of her mind. Next she pushed out the sound of dripping water. She could hear running water in the distance, but that was all.

She tried to move again, but the ropes held tight. She rolled to her back. Ropes held her hands and arms behind her back. Her feet were bound the same way. Her knees could bend, but her arms could not move at all. She could feel her wand still strapped to her leg. _At least the spell worked. They couldn't get my wand, but they did make it so I couldn't get it either._

She also still had her mole skin pouch but again, she couldn't reach it to open it. Lily lay on her back, trying to come up with a plan. She had to find Scorpius, but how was she going to do that when she couldn't move? Unfortunately she couldn't see much from her position on the ground, so her first step was to sit up. Her body was sore and protested any movement she made, but Scorpius needed her, so Lily tried to force her body up.

No matter how she twisted or turned, she could not get up. She tried rolling to her knees and pushing herself up, but she was so wrapped up that she toppled over every time she made it into a sitting position. Lily tried over and over to sit up and before long she was panting heavily. Somehow, she had managed to roll near a wall, but that was about all she had accomplished.

An idea struck her. Rolling closer to the wall, she again tried to sit up. This time, as her body was pulled down again, she twisted her body and it slammed into the hard rock wall. Lily winced as her shoulder made contact with the rough stone, but her body managed to remain in a sitting position.

After a bit more struggling, she was seated upright with her back to the wall. She was breathing heavily and she felt sweat drip down her face and back, but she was upright. Lily took this as an opportunity to rest, but it was brief. She didn't know where her captors were or when they would be back and she needed to find Scorpius and get out of here.

In her new position Lily was able to see more of the cavern. It was almost completely enclosed. She saw no opening to get out of the cavern. Of course the shadows around the cavern probably hid the passageway. Most of the floor was well lit and she saw no signs of Scorpius. He must be being held in a different room. The canter of the room had a small pool of water. _How had she missed that?_

Before she could think about it, she watched a shadow move. From the shadow emerged a dark shape. A cloak covered the figures face. Lily's mind raced wildly, trying to come up with an idea, some way to escape. But the figure grew larger and larger, and as Lily struggled, the ropes around her tightened. She couldn't even scream, the gag in her mouth muffled all sound. She stared wide eyed as the figure stood above her a wand raised.

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Scorpius was dreaming. He and Lily were sitting under their tree like so many other times. She was sketching and he was listening to the scratch of the quill. It was a sound that could calm him within seconds. He could be having the worst day imaginable, but that tiny sound seemed to calm mind and body. No words were needed, just that little sound.

In his dream, he saw Lily. She was smiling at him as he lay in the grass. The sun was warm upon his face and He was in a state of bliss. He found himself talking to her. He was telling her the latest story of a girlfriend. Well, former girlfriend. After his story he was waiting for her usual answer. He knew she just couldn't help herself sometimes. He knew he was fickle, but they just never seemed to work out. They just always ended up annoying him.

Of course, they didn't annoy him as much as Lily's boyfriend. Sure, he was playing nice because she had told him to, but he just didn't like him. Of course, he wouldn't tell Lily that. She wasn't really up to listening to his opinions on her choice of boyfriend.

The one thing he still had was his mornings with Lily. He wondered what she would do next year when he wasn't here. Would she invite Marcus to join her? He frowned at that thought. For some reason his gut was turning at the thought. No one else ever came out here with her and the thought that he would be replaced….he looked up at her.

She was concentrating on her sketching. Her face was scrunched up in a familiar way. Her tongue peeked out every once in awhile. He watched as he eyes scanned the paper. She seemed to realize he was looking at her and she looked up and smiled. That little smile and he relaxed right away. This was perfect. He couldn't imagine her replacing him. They were too close.

All of a sudden, his fears seemed silly and he relaxed again. He smiled at her and lay back. In his dream, he slowly drifted in and out of sleep. When he looked up, Lily was standing. Her face had on odd look on it, but he couldn't place it. She seemed to be moving towards him, but she never actually moved anywhere. He shook his head. She was probably playing a game, so he turned away.

When he looked at her again, Lily was slowly fading from his view. Something was off, it was wrong. He looked over to the tree and didn't see her. His dream self began to look for her, but he couldn't find her.

Slowly he started to worry. His dream self began to panic and the dream began to fade away.

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Scorpius awoke on the warm grass. He couldn't wait to tell Lily about his dream. It was just so odd. Even after that dream, he felt so good and warm. He stretched feeling very content. He glanced next to him looking for Lily. He had fallen asleep, unable to keep his eyes open, but he had found that every time they fell asleep next together he always felt that much better. It had only happened a handful of times. Harry and Ginny trusted the two, but they had made it very clear that they were not to make a habit of it.

He blinked in the sun and smiled, but the smile froze on his face. Lily was no where to be seen. There was her bag and he could see where she had fallen asleep next to him. He frowned; she didn't seem to be in the area. That was unlike her. He looked around for Bludger, but he was no where to be seen either.

Scorpius smiled. Maybe she was starting a game of hide and seek. She had been known to pull it once in awhile when he fell asleep in the sun listening to the sounds of her sketching. He laughed, that must be it. He began to look in her favorite hiding spots. He looked up in the tree but there was not even the sign of Bludger. There was a hiding spot under a pile of underbrush, but she was not there. He tried around the hill and near the lake, but there was no sign of Lily. Half an hour later, he was no longer laughing, he was starting to worry. He usually found her within minutes of the little joke.

He went back to the tree, but everything was still in place. He was trying to rationalize this. She had not landed in the hospital in months. They had become lax in their watch of Lily. He started to gather their things. It was time to check with their friends. Maybe she had run up to the castle thinking she would be back before he woke up. In the back of his mind, he knew this was not like Lily. She would have waken him up or left him a note.

His legs were no longer walking, he was running as fast as he could, trying to reach the castle. He was no longer thinking positively. Now his mind was running through every terrible possibility. His heart was pounding in his ears. As he rounded the corner to the castle entrance, he ran smack into a small red head. There stood Lily Luna Potter.


	10. The Wrong Lily

Scorpius stared at Lily

Sorry about the last chapter. I was overly tired and in a very weird mood. Hope this one helps explain things. I like some of the ideas people are coming up with. I really like the squid. It made me laugh because I can see it. Hope you like this one.

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Scorpius stared at Lily. She was smiling at him. He stood, dumbfounded. Here he had spent all this time and energy trying to find her and she was here the entire time. He felt sudden anger. It was not like Lily to run off without telling him. They almost always walked up to the castle together. And here she was smiling, as if nothing had happened. His voice was low and it came out as almost a growl.

"Where in the name of Merlin's beard have you been?"

Lily looked startled at his outburst. The smile faded slightly. "What do you mean?"

That only angered his more. "I mean I have been looking for you for almost an hour. I was worried about you and here you are, strolling in like nothings wrong. That isn't like you."

He watched as she rolled her eyes. "Sorry. You were sleeping, so I thought I would run up here and grab something else to eat. I was hungry. I was on my way back."

The answer made sense, but it was wrong. Lily wouldn't do that. She wouldn't leave without leaving a note. Besides which, she didn't usually eat a ton for breakfast. She usually ate a little but never really seemed hungry until lunch time. He stared at her before grabbing her arm.

"C'mon." He growled. She tried to yank her arm out from his hands, but he held on strong. He could see the irritation play across her face.

"Where do you think you are taking me Malfoy?" Scorpius just pulled harder.

"To the hospital wing. You are obviously not feeling well and I want Madam Pomfrey to check you out. And when did you start calling me Malfoy?"

Lily finally succeeded in pulling her arm away. She stopped, with her hands on her hips. "Since you started being an ass. And I am fine. I don't need to go to the hospital wing."

The two friends stood and glared at each other in silence. Finally, Scorpius shook his head in resignation. "Look, Lils, I'm sorry. I just woke up and you weren't there. You are always there, and you had me worried. You know we don't like you wandering the school by yourself. I know you can handle yourself, but you had me worried, OK?"

He saw few emotions on her face. In fact, it was almost like staring at a mask. That was very odd for Lily. She seemed to be debating his apology and how sincere he was being. He frowned at her. Something was up. Before he could figure it out, Lily smiled and grabbed his hand.

"You don't need to worry about me. Everything's going to be great fro now on. Let's go get some dinner." Scorpius followed her to the Great Hall.

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Over the next few days, things just got stranger. Scorpius was not the only one to notice. Lily would disappear for hours on end. She had stopped going to her classes, and the professors were beginning to worry too. It was just not like Lily. She was complaining of sickness, but Madam Pomfrey had yet to see her.

She was blowing off her brothers, Marcus, and the twins. She was skipping their mornings at the tree and she had yet to ask for her sketchpad back. Scorpius had accidentally thrown it in his bag when he had packed up her things days ago. She was not as talkative at usual and she sulked more often.

She was not his Lily and he couldn't figure out what was wrong. She still disappeared in the mornings and he didn't know where she kept running off to. It was starting to worry him. He had tried to talk to her about it, but she just told him she wasn't feeling well and she would change the subject. He seemed to be the only one she wasn't blowing off, but she still was very short with him. Often times, she would just stare at him but she wouldn't talk.

What had caused such a change? He had taken to trying to find out where she went in the mornings without him. So far, he had yet to see her emerge from the Gryfindor tower. She didn't seem to really be there, but right after he gave up and went to the Great Hall for breakfast, she would be sitting there waiting for him. He just couldn't figure out what was wrong. It was like her entire personality was wrong. It just wasn't Lily.

He knew that his idea was out there, but it was stuck in his mind. This was not his Lily, so that meant that something terrible had happened. Either His Lily was trapped in this new Lily, or this was not His Lily at all. He had not mentioned his fears to any of the others. He wanted a little more proof. It was an out there idea to begin with, he needed to have some more proof that he was right.

The problem was that this Lily seemed to know he was watching her. She was still talking to him, but it was brief and always seemed to be in a group. She was making sure she was not next to him alone. She would talk to him and listen to his opinions and watch him, but she made sure she did not find herself alone with him.

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After a horrible week, Scorpius finally decided that he needed to talk to the others about Lily and her behavior. He found Al sitting in the library, a very worried look on his face. Scorpius walked to the table he was at and sat down. Albus slammed his book shut and glanced up to see Scorpius.

"Damn, Malfoy. Don't do that. You startled me." Al whispered harshly at Scorpius.

"Sorry." He wasn't, not when it came to Lily. "We need to talk."

Al sighed. Scorpius had expected him to demand what this little conversation would be about. After all, last time they started a conversation in the library like this, Al had been holding Scorpius hostage at wand tip.

Albus looked up with wide green eyes. "You are noticing it too aren't you?"

Scorpius covered his surprise. Honestly, did he really think he was the only one who knew anything about Lily and her behavior? He had been so stuck on His Lily that he forgot that the others would surely notice something wrong and they would have ideas about it too.

"Yeah." Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. "I just don't know what's up. She hasn't been meeting me for morning meetings, I only see her for pieces of time, and she is always surrounding herself with people. It is like a different Lily." Scorpius looked up to meet Albus' eyes. "I'm really worried Al."

The two had been, well not exactly friends, but they had a growing bond. This was the first time Scorpius had used Albus' first name. It spoke to the seriousness of the situation.

"Me too. That's why I'm here. I am looking into potions, spells, and anything I can find that would change personality like that. But it doesn't look good." Scorpius nodded, and without another word, he grabbed a book and began to read.

Another two days passed and they had found nothing. Albus was even more worried than ever. The two had gone so far as to send a letter to Harry. They hadn't wanted to worry the auror, but they needed help. Lily was getting worse, and they didn't know how to help her. They also knew that with the way her schooling was going, Harry would be contacted soon anyway. She was continuing to miss classes and she was becoming more and more distant.

He wanted answers. What had happened to his friend? An idea had formed in the back of his mind, but he was hoping against hope that the idea proved false. The only way he would know was if he could pin her down for more than an hour, and right now that was almost impossible.

Scorpius was getting frustrated. Then, just after dinner, he saw her in the halls. He quickly walked over, but Lily looked up and saw him. Their eyes met for an instant. Scorpius' eyes widened in shock. He was no longer staring into Lily's warm copper eyes, but instead, he was staring into eyes that were vaguely familiar. Lily took off running towards the doors. Scorpius was hot on her heels.

They raced through the empty halls toward the entrance of the castle. Lily was fast, but Scorpius' long legs were quickly closing the distance. "Stop! Lily!"

The calls were ignored. By now they were outside. The sun was setting over the lake. He tried to keep his eyes on Lily, but he soon lost sight of her as the sun blinded him. He had to stop and shield his eyes. Once he could again see, he started to look for a figure around the lake. He had been blinded for just a few seconds, but it seemed that she was gone.

He began to search the area, looking for any signs someone had run that way. His heart pounded. He had been so close. On top of that, his fear had been realized. He began to race back to the castle. He needed all the help he could get right now. Harry Potter would definitely be called in for this. It seemed that Lily was in serious trouble. Someone had polyjuice potion, and they probably also had Lily.

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Lily was still stuck in the dark cave. She had lost track of time. All she knew was that her captor would show up soon. She didn't know how she was going to get out of this. She knew it had been a few days at least. She also knew that her captor was getting more agitated and that did not bode well for Lily.

Her captor had untied her just long enough for her to remove the wand strapped to her leg. Lily had not been given a chance to use the wand. If she even tried to flick the wand, she was hit with the cruciatus curse. By the time she had unstrapped the wand and tossed it aside as told to, she had been sweating and in extreme pain. Every time her captor thought she had put a toe out of line, a new curse would hit her.

When they were here with Lily, she was untied, but that was so she could use the chamber pot and eat quickly. Lily would be questioned about her friends and what they talked about and what would be expected that day. If it was found out that Lily had given false information, she was given no food and a good dose of Crucio.

It didn't stop Lily from trying to escape. Lily had even tried to make a mad dive for the pool of water. It seemed that was the only way to get in and out of the cave. There were no other doors she could see and that was how her captor always entered and exited. The first time she had been untied after giving away her wand, she dove into the pool hoping to escape, but the water was deep, and soon she couldn't breathe.

She had been sure she was going to drown; she could feel her lungs closing and her brain shutting down. The world had dimmed when she felt someone yank back on her clothing. They dragged her back into the cave and Lily had sat gagging on the floor. She coughed up water and slowly she could see again. A cold voice had whispered,

"You idiot. Do you honestly think I wouldn't have thought about that? That tunnel is so long, you need a bubblehead charm to get here. Even if they figure it out, they won't be able to find you." Even that had not deterred Lily.

When she was left alone, she was again bound hand and foot. It was done so tightly that she could not move an inch. She tried to use the stone walls to saw through the rope, but all that did was cut her arms and cause her wrists to swell. The rope held strong.

She tried looking for another passage, maybe one her captor did not know about, but it was soon evident that there was no other way out of here. She had tried to open her mole skin pouch, but so far she had had little success. She was hoping that it would help Scorpius find her. She had almost edged it open when there came a splash. _Damn! They're back!_

The figure preformed a quick drying spell and they walked over to Lily. The polyjuice potion had almost worn off by now. The long red lock were shortened to their natural length. The eyes were already back. The figure grew to their own height and they straightened.

"Damn him! Damn you!" They were really angry. Lily could see it and she knew she would be in trouble very soon if she didn't play her cards right. The dark eyes focused on her.

"He knew, how did he know? He has been watching me for days, but he knew it was polyjuice potion, I could see it in his eyes. He knows I am not you." The figure ran distracted hands through their hair.

"Lord, if I spent even a few seconds alone with him, he was constantly demanding that I answer questions and they were questions I didn't have. Shit!"

The figure paced back and forth, becoming more and more agitated. Lily tried desperately to open her mole skin pouch again. This time, her life depended on it. She had to get out of this. A strange look had entered their eyes and their wand was moving rapidly back and forth.

They turned and focused dark wild eyes on Lily. "There is only one thing left to do." A wand was raised, and Lily stared in horror.

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Scorpius had quickly found Albus and a few of the others. Within minutes, Harry had been summoned and they met up together. Scorpius and Al had gone over their ideas. Scorpius shared his run in with the Fake Lily. Harry had listened with a frown on his face.

Soon, they had a search party all around the lake. They covered every nook and cranny, but there was no sign of Lily or the person that could have taken her. Scorpius was becoming frantic. How had they missed this? It had been almost a week that Lily had been gone, and none of them had known it.

Albus had tried to alleviate his guilt. "We did know."

"Yeah, but it took us this long to do anything about it. We knew something was off, but we didn't do anything at first and now she can be in really big trouble."

Al seemed to know there was no convincing Scorpius otherwise. They continued to search in vain. They didn't know where to start. Harry had called James and the two had poured over a map, but they had no idea about where Lily was.

The sun was now gone, and the searchers went back to the castle, trying to think of a new plan of action. Scorpius overheard Harry talking to Ron. "What did I do wrong? Every time I turn around it seems like I am here waiting to find my daughter. What do I do if I don't find her this time?"

"Of course you'll find her mate. You came out of some pretty tight scrapes in your school days."

"That's what scares me."

"C'mon Harry. She has your blood. She will be fine. Just think, a few more years and you will be training her to be an auror just like you. We'll find her." Harry had shook his head sadly, but had followed Ron.

It was the first time Scorpius had seen Harry so defeated. He was always so strong and positive about his daughter. Now, he seemed so much older. Something was different about this time. They could feel it.

Scorpius had been unable to concentrate as he ate. Harry and told him he needed to eat if he wanted to help look for Lily. He couldn't afford to have searchers pass out from hunger later. They were all in the All House Common Room eating. Other students had been sent to bed. No one seemed to know what was going on except for the searchers. They thought it was best not to start rumors until after Lily was found.

Scorpius had nodded absentmindedly when Harry had handed him a plate. He was thinking back, trying to figure out who had Lily. It was there, teasing the back of his brain. He could almost picture a face. Scorpius closed his eyes and slowly calmed his mind. He thought of the eyes and focused on them until they were all he could see. Soon a nose appeared with the eyes followed by a mouth. Soon Scorpius had constructed the face. His eyes flew open. He ran to Harry and Albus, eating. His eyes were glowing in delight.

Harry looked up, "What is it Scorpius?"

"I know who it is!"

"Who what is?" Albus was tired and was having a hard time following Scorpius' excited voice.

"I know who has Lily!"


	11. Identity Revealed

Yes, you finally get to know who it is. Only one person wrote in the correct answer, though I am sure many of you guessed it. And now, for the identity of the kidnapper….

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Harry quickly dropped his fork. "Are you sure?"

Scorpius nodded. "The eyes gave them away. I knew I had seen those eyes before. I guess the polyjuice potion was wearing off. The eyes were too dark to be Lily's."

Albus interrupted. "So who is it?" Scorpius was getting ready to tell them when Oz came over. His eyes were downcast. His voice was very quiet. "It's Persephone."

The group stared wide eyed at Oz. He would not meet their eyes. His hands rubbed together nervously. James was the first to react. He launched himself at Oz. He grabbed him by the collar shaking him. "You knew! All this time you knew who was after her and you said nothing? I should kill you! I swear if anything happens to Lily, you are dead!"

Harry and Albus quickly pried James off Oz. Scorpius stared, still in shock. He looked at Oz. "Is it true?" Scorpius spoke so quietly that everything stopped. They all leaned in to hear the answer. Oz looked up to meet his eyes. Oz, who kept every emotion hidden, who could read every emotion on anyone else's face, was crying.

"I am so sorry Scor. I suspected, but I didn't know. I swear it."

"When did you start to suspect something?"

Oz hung his head again. "When Lily started to change. Persephone was never in the common room anymore. We don't hang out anymore, but I wasn't seeing her anywhere and sometimes she would be late for dinner and she was never at breakfast anymore. She claims it was relaxing after studying, but I wasn't sure. And… well, the way Lily moved and her gestures. They were the same as Persephone's not Lily's at all."

Scorpius managed to keep the hurt out of his voice. "Why didn't you say something? Why didn't you tell us? You knew we were looking for someone who wanted to hurt Lily."

Oz's head shot up again. His eyes sparked. "She is still my friend. We grew up together. I didn't know it was her until you said that you recognized her too. I knew those movements and that attitude, but it took me awhile to place them. And what if I was wrong? I would have betrayed a friend, a fellow Slytherin. It isn't done Scor. You know that."

James shot forward against his brother's strong arms. "I don't give a damn about Slytherin. We are talking about my sister. She could very well be dead because of you!"

Oz looked at James. His voice went very soft. "You think I don't know that? She is the one of you that accepted me no matter what. You were all suspicious of me from the moment Scorpius invited me into your train car. But Lily sat next to me and talked to me. When I have a problem, I can go to her. She listens to me, she helps me, and she is kind to me. She doesn't care what house I am in. She saw that Scorpius had his friend back and she invited me into the group. I owe her more than you know. That's why I needed to say something. I figured out who it was earlier today and I have been struggling with a way to tell you. Don't you tell me who we are talking about. You think I haven't thought of everything Persephone could have done to her? That's why I came forward."

Oz seemed drained. Scorpius reached over and placed an arm around him. James opened his mouth, but Harry silenced him with a look. He lifted Oz's face so they were eye to eye. Oz trembled slightly but he met Harry's eyes. Harry spoke evenly. "Thank you."

Oz blinked, "Excuse me sir?" Harry placed a hand on Oz's shoulder. Oz flinched, as if expecting a blow.

"Thank you. It takes a lot to come forward when you think a friend is doing wrong. Thank you for coming forward. You could have very well saved her." He removed his hand and turned to his oldest son.

"James, pull out that map. I want to find this Persephone."

James gave a glare at Oz and Scorpius but he did as he was told. Albus, Harry, James, Scorpius and Oz all gathered around the map. Oz and Scorpius gasped in amazement. It was extraordinary. This map showed every living person in Hogwarts. There the five of them were. They gathered in a cluster. Harry gave them sections to scan. There were no words, just busy eyes.

Soon they all looked up. There was no sign of either Lily or Persephone. Scorpius looked up to the defeated eyes of Harry Potter. "What do we do now?"

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Lily searched wildly for an answer to her problem. She had to stall her. She met Persephone's face and spoke very evenly and very quietly. She made sure no emotion showed and that her fear could not be sensed. Looking at her, you would never know how hard her heart pounded.

"You want to kill me, and no one can stop you here."

Persephone laughed. "You catch on quick Potter. No one can stop me here."

"Then I deserve one thing."

"You deserve nothing Potter! You deserve absolutely nothing." Lily flinched, but held her ground. She just had to keep Persephone talking. She was slowly working her bond loose. Persephone had not checked them this time around, and Lily had been working to loose them for hours. She was so close.

"I deserve to know why. Why do you hate me enough to kill me? What have I done to you?"

Persephone gave a cold smile. "Well, I guess I have the time. You certainly aren't going anywhere." She backed away slightly, but kept Lily in her sights. Her wand was still raised, but not as menacing as before. There was a small rock outcropping near the center pool. She went behind Lily and pulled her close to the rock. "To keep an eye on you." And she sat down on the rock.

Persephone again smiled coldly at Lily. "I guess you could say there are a number of reasons I did this to you. Or why I picked you. The number one reason is simple. Scorpius Malfoy."

She paused, looking for Lily to give some kind of reaction. Lily just looked up waiting for the story to continue. Persephone frowned and began again. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. In fact, you probably thought you deserved his attention. You saw him and I am sure you thought you deserved to have him in your little club of admirers."

"Of course I wasn't worried. Scorpius had you pegged. He knew about your family and all about your attention seeking. But he changed that year. He became quiet and we couldn't get him to talk much. That was when I noticed you. You were glaring at him and he actually looked like he felt bad about it. That was when I realized that you had somehow sunk your claws into him. Well I had to protect my friends…"

Lily frantically thought back. When had she glared at Scorpius? It clicked, he had accused her of spying on the Slytherin quidditch team. She looked wide eyed at Persephone. "My broom stick was because I was upset with him?"

Persephone smiled. "Well you were hurting him. I could see it on his face." She frowned, "I thought that had cured him of his little infatuation with you. But later that year, Oz saw him with you. He said you were laughing with him. It was horrible."

Lily was confused, "Horrible that two friends were laughing together?"

"He wasn't your friend! He was ours, but he left us for you! You ruined him. All of a sudden he was smiling and laughing. Not like the Scorpius we knew. He no longer joined in out jokes. You changed him." Her voice had gone cold. "You stole him away. As if you didn't have enough friends. He left us for you!"

Lily was getting angry. "He didn't do anything of the sort. He tried to stay friends. You left him."

"Wrong!" Now the wand was moving faster and faster in the air. _Good going Lil, get the nutcase agitated!_ "He chose you. We gave him the choice and he chose you. That was when I knew I would have to get you out of the picture before he would come back to us. You even took Oz from us. It was because of you that our little group broke up. I blame you Potter."

"That's why I have been trying to get rid of you, but you always have someone there. Someone is always there to help you. That bookcase and the stairs you had Scorpius. That was when I realized I needed you away from him before I could get rid of you, but you always had someone there. You made it very hard indeed."

"Then came the train." She was smiling again. "I finally found you alone. It was perfect. There was no way they could find you and there would be no proof that anyone had pushed you. I would have gotten rid of you and Scorpius would come back to us. He would realize that he needed his friends to help him get over you. I would have had him back." Her voice grew hard again.

"But you survived. Even then, you survived. I can't believe they found you. You should have been out of my hair, but you kept coming back! You damned Potter brat!" She calmed again. This time a sly look crossed her face. "That was when a new plan evolved. If I couldn't get rid of you, I could become you. Everything I deserved would be mine. I would have Scorpius back, and you would no longer be in my way. I didn't know where to start though."

"That was when I found this place." She spread her arms wide, showing off the cavern. "I used to come and swim when I had to think. One day, when I was diving, I found a long tunnel. I found it was much too long to make it the whole way in, but I was curious. I used the bubble charm, and soon I found this place. That was when I knew where I could keep you. No one would think to look for you here. No one else knows about it. And I knew I would need you alive to gain information so I could be you."

"The rest of the plan was easy. I had followed you for months. I knew when you headed off for your meeting with Scor and I knew you always brought food. I was hiding behind a tapestry and used the tripping charm on you. When everything fell, I grabbed the bottle of pumpkin juice and replaced it with mine. The difference was that I spiked mine with a sleeping potion."

Lily looked up in horror. "That's it? That's how you managed to do this to me? A simple sleeping potion? After everything, after you tried to kill me, that's all it took?"

Persephone laughed. "I know. All this time, and that's all it took. I knew no one disturbed you two out there and if you both fell asleep, well, it was too easy." She stopped laughing. "But your damnable friends were too smart. They started to notice that I wasn't who they thought I was. Scorpius kept trying to get me alone, buy I knew he would know in an instant. It was the way he watched me. And now, well, now they know it isn't you. Of course, there is no connection to me. I had to run from Scor because the potion was wearing off, but I still looked like you so I will be fine. I just have one little loose end to tie up."

Persephone leaned in close and once again raised her wand.

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Will they find her in time? Hmmmm…


	12. Fighting for Your Life

Thanks again for the reviews. I always like to know when you enjoy the story and what I am doing well. I am always open to ideas and suggestions to make it better. Hope you like this chapter. Thanks again and congratulations to Alwaysmarauder for correctly guessing the identity of the kidnapper. And now, on with the show…

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It was then that Lily knew she would not have someone to save her this time. Persephone was right. Lily had always had someone there, they had always been there to save her. They could take her to the hospital or push her out of the way. Now she was all alone and no one was there to save her.

Her brain flashed to images of her family. She saw her dad smiling over his cup of coffee in the morning. He was giving her a wink and telling her to enjoy her walk. Her mum was sitting by the fire writing her latest article for the paper as Lily sat next to the chair at her mother's feet. Ginny stroked her daughter's hair absentmindedly. She saw her brothers smiling at a prank they pulled. She saw Teddy and Victorie and little Harrison. More faces flashed. The last one was Scorpius. Her friend. The one whom she could tell anything. The one whom she adored with all her heart.

These thoughts snapped her out of it. She would not die in this cave where no one would ever find her body. She would not die here alone. She would fight! The loose ropes still held her strong, but she could move. Lily struggled to her feet. Persephone laughed.

"Oh, are you going to fight me Potter? What are you going to do? You do remember that I have your wand, that you are defenseless, don't you?" The laughed grated in Lily's ears. She saw red and she did the only thing she could think of. She leaned forward with as much force as she could muster. The force brought her forward right into Persephone's stomach. The older girl doubled over in pain. Lily reached up with her head and bit a hand, hard enough to draw blood.

With a scream, Persephone yanked her hand back, sending her wand flying. They watched as the wand flew through the air and landed right in the middle of the pool of water. Neither moved as they watched the wand sink. This seemed to snap Persephone out of it and she dove towards the water.

It gave Lily a chance to try and loosen her bonds even more. She struggled against them frantically. She had to get away. The ropes were still holding her. She could struggle upright, but she couldn't walk or run. Her arms were still bound to her sides. By now Persephone was in the water searching for her wand.

She didn't have much more time. Now Persephone was climbing out of the water. Minus her wand. She was furious. "Do you know what you have done?! It is gone. It is down that tube too far down for me to get without my bubble charm. We are stuck here! Your wand is in my room. I am going to kill you!"

Persephone charged. Lily followed her instincts. As Persephone came closer, Lily bent over and as she felt Persephone lean over her, she rolled forward flinging Persephone to the ground. Lily rolled away towards the wall. Persephone charged again. She had a wild look in her eye. Persephone was no longer in control.

Lily lay on her side and swept her legs under Persephone's. Persephone crashed to the floor, hitting her head. That didn't slow her down. She stumbled up again. There was a gash on her head. The blood dripped from the cut. She was wobbly, but she kept coming. Lily made it to her knees, but she knew she wouldn't make it to her feet.

She charged Lily one more time. Lily threw herself backwards and sunk her feet into Persephone's stomach. She swung her legs over her head. The momentum threw Persephone over her and up against the wall. There was a sickening crunch as she hit the wall. This time, she didn't get up. Lily was breathing heavily. She tried crawling over to the fallen girl, but she was doing so cautiously. She didn't know if Persephone was playing possum.

It took long minutes to crawl her way over. Lily forced her ear near Persephone's face. She was still breathing. Lily had only knocked her out. That meant that time was of the essence. She needed to get out of the ropes. They were slowly loosening, but she had a long way to go. She was tired but her life could depend on this.

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Hours later, Lily had managed to loosen the bonds, but that was about it. The rocks were smooth and wet. She had finally despaired of finding one sharp enough to free her. She knew Persephone would wake soon. She had started to make soft noises. She was starting to believe she would never get away. Tears began to form in her eyes. She was going to die here.

She slumped against a rock. A sharp edge jabbed her in the back. She cried out softly as she felt blood well up on her back. She also noticed that her ropes had slackened a bit. She had rubbed away part of the rope. _That's it! I finally found one!_ The thought hit suddenly. She began to saw the rope up and down on the rock. She glanced at the unconscious girl. She was starting to stir.

Lily was frantic. She forced tired muscles to cooperate. She sawed away at the rope, and she finally felt the ropes slacken. In minutes, she was free. She tried to stand, but her ankles were swollen and would not support her weight right away. Lily quickly grabbed her moleskin pouch. She needed help, and she needed it fast.

Quickly she dug through the bag. Persephone was more active now. She didn't have much time. She grabbed the mirror. "Scorpius! Please answer!" Seconds passed and soon the cloudy glass cleared. Scorpius' worried face looked back at her. She felt tears of relief well up.

"Lily? Lily, is that you?"

She found no words, but she nodded. Scorpius shouted behind him. "Sir! Over here! She's OK!"

Soon her father's face was in the mirror. "Lily?"

"Yes, Dad, I'm OK. But I need help. She's going to wake up soon."

"OK, Lily, keep calm. Where are you?"

"I don't know. I'm in a cave. It's attached to the lake somehow. I guess she needed a bubble charm to get in here. It's too long to swim out of without a charm. I don't have my wand, and I managed to knock hers away but it sank. Dad, I need you to hurry. She's going to wake up. Please Dad."

Harry tried to calm her down. She looked at the background. It was moving in the glass. She realized that once she had said lake, the entire group had moved off towards the lake. "We are coming. Do you have any other information? The lake is big."

"Ummm, she said something about there being a rock outcropping. She used to swim there in the mornings."

Lily didn't get any further. She heard a voice behind her. "Now you will pay!" Lily screamed and dropped the mirror. That was the last thing Harry and Scorpius heard before their mirror went dark again.

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The group was at the lake's edge. Harry was relaying the information he had received from Lily. He did not mention the scream. He didn't need them all to panic. He was doing that enough for all of them.

Oz exchanged a look with Scorpius. The rocky outcrop was close. They knew it. Persephone didn't like to be anywhere she could be seen while swimming, but she didn't like to be terribly far from the castle either. She wanted to be on hand if Scorpius had needed her.

With this information, the group split up and began their search. Within minutes, the group had searched most of the coastline. Scorpius and Harry were the first to find one that looked like it might just be the one. Harry shouted at James who was nearby. James began to spread the word while Harry and Scorpius dove into the water searching desperately for a small tunnel or opening.

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Meanwhile Lily had been attacked from the back. This time however, she was untied. Persephone had a height and weight advantage, but growing up in the Weasley family had its advantages too. Lily was the youngest and that had taught her to scrap. If you wanted to come out on top, you had to know your opponents weakness. Lily was smaller and knew how to use her small frame to an advantage.

As Persephone would charge, Lily would attempt to throw her over a hip or trip her or duck under her legs. This infuriated Persephone and caused the girls movements to become more erratic and more dangerous. Persephone was also getting clumsy. She was flailing her arms all around her, causing some damage to Lily, but not too much. She was throwing herself off balance. Lily was only attempting to remain out of the girls way hoping help would arrive soon or that the girl would tire.

Unfortunately she managed to get in a punch, right up and under Lily's chin. It dazed Lily and while she tried to shake off the woozy feeling another hit found its mark on her shoulder. Persephone shoved Lily and the smaller girl stumbled back. Another shove and Lily's head met the hard rock wall. She saw stars and felt her stomach heave. Slowly Lily slid to the floor. She couldn't lift her arms and she couldn't seem to find the strength to defend herself any longer. Persephone stood over her with a triumphant smile.

Again her thoughts went back to her family. More images flashed in her brain. Teddy was whirling her around the room at Christmas time after she had given him her first drawing. Grandma and Grandpa Weasley were telling her stories about Dad and Uncle Ron in front of the fire and laughing until tears streamed from their eyes. She saw her cousins all scrambling to take turns on Al's new broomstick and the pick up game of quidditch that followed.

Her vision blurred and she no longer saw Persephone laughing at her. She was back in the sunshine, with Scorpius by her side. She could smell the grass and she could feel the rough bark against her back. He smiled at her and held her hand. They watched the birds and clouds overhead. And Lily smiled. It was a peaceful contented smile.

Lily could see Persephone again, but it didn't take away her happy smile. The older girl was no longer laughing. She was staring at the smiling Lily. Lily still couldn't find the strength to move. She just smiled and her body slumped further down the wall. She saw a question form on Persephone's lips, but the question never came. There was a splash of water and a shout of fury.

In a flash of light, Persephone flew across the room. She saw her dad emerge from the water shaking in rage. Next to him stood Scorpius. He was shaking and breathing heavily. She struggled to move, but her body would not cooperate. Both men were dripping as they ran to the unconscious Persephone to bind her tightly. Lily could feel life infuse her body again and she tried once more to stand up.

This time, she stood with shaky legs only to collapse with a cry. Harry and Scorpius looked up. Tears streamed down both of their faces. Within seconds she was being swept into a bone crushing hug. Lily let out a gasp "Owww."

Scorpius didn't care. "We came out of that water and saw you fall over… we thought you were dead! I certainly didn't want to be the one that checked to make sure. I couldn't do it Lily, I couldn't be the one to find you…" Scorpius reached over to bury his head in her shoulder again. She stroked his hair.

"I'm fine. It takes more than a maniac killer to get rid of me." Her dad smiled at her, tears still glistening in his eyes.

It took him a few tries, but he was finally able to speak without his voice cracking. "Well Lily Bean, let's get you out of here. You have a whole search party out looking for you and they will want to know the whole story."

Lily smiled and nodded. With another hug to Scorpius and her dad Lily began to laugh. Soon all three were laughing in the tiny cavern. The sound rang off the walls and it was the happiest sound the three would ever remember.

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The next few days found Lily in the company of many friends and family. She was also confined to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey refused to let her out until she was sure her head would cause her no problems. Her body had recovered from the use of the curses and abuse, but her mind was not there yet.

Everywhere she went she felt the need to look behind her. She was always looking for someone following her movements. Persephone had been taken away, but Lily still felt eyes following her every step.

She refused to let it get to her though. She did everything just as though nothing had happened. Her dad had a long talk with her about how he felt knowing people wanted to hurt him and that had helped. She knew she could not let others make her decisions for her. She would not let this control her life. She went down to the tree with Scorpius and she hung out in the all house common room with Marcus. She smiled and joked and laughed. At night, she hugged an old stuffed teddy bear her mother had sent and that helped keep nightmares at bay…most nights.

Soon her mind was drawn away from these thoughts though. The school year was ending. It was winding down. It was the last week she would spend with Scorpius this way and she was determined that it would be the best week ever. They spent every waking moment they could together. Scorpius had once again dumped his latest girlfriend for some stupid reason, but Lily knew it was so he didn't feel guilty that he was spending all his time with her.

Marcus was very understanding. He knew that she needed this time with Scorpius since they would not get it again. Next year she would be back to spending her mornings alone. She just couldn't imagine inviting anyone else to come and share her mornings with.

After he found her, Scorpius had not let her out of his sight. She knew he had blamed himself when she had been taken. He had been with her and he had failed to protect her. It didn't matter that he had found her. It didn't matter that he was now watching out for her on a …slightly…obsessive manner. What mattered to Scorpius was that he had not been able to save Lily when she needed saving. He was very emotional right now. He had cried on her shoulder in the cavern. He had not done so since, but she could see it near the surface.

That was part of the reason she had not broken down with him. She knew only one of them could break down at a time and right now it was his turn. She used Albus and Marcus instead. She had even cried on Oz's shoulder once, but for Scorpius, she stayed happy and supportive. She knew she would be ok, but she needed to make sure he would be ok as well.

The week went quickly. Before she knew it, it was the day to pack everything up and go home. Lily stared outside. Out there was her tree and she knew it would never be the same. She smiled sadly. She was happy for Scorpius. He and Al had quidditch try outs in a little over a month. She really was happy for him, but she was overly emotional and she was also going to miss him.

She heaved a sigh and held out an arm. Bludger came over and landed there. He nuzzled her neck. She stood there in peace. Only another hour and they would all be loading into the train. She watched the rising sun. Bludger gave a soft call. He flew off her arm as another pair of arms encircled her waist. She leaned back against Scorpius. He rested his chin in her hair. He whispered in her ear.

"Ready for one last morning?"

"Let's just stay here for a few more minutes."

So that's what they did. They watched the sun rise together. Scorpius hugged her tighter and she sank her body into his warmth. After long minutes, Lily pulled away and took his hand. The two friends walked towards their tree for one last morning.

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Hope you liked the chapter. Hmmm, where to go from here...


	13. Attacks and Revelations

The summer was over much too quickly. Scorpius and Albus had both tried out for the Montrose Magpies and were thrilled when they had been both been accepted. They were even starting rather than back up players. Scorpius was playing Seeker while Albus was playing Chaser. It was now a running joke that a Potter and a Malfoy were now teammates.

The terrible part was that Lily barely got to see them over the summer. Soon after they tried out, they were called up for practices. She and Scorpius could not even talk using their mirrors. He was always busy and when he and Al made it home, they collapsed in exhaustion.

That was the other turn of events. Blain, Al, and Scorpius were all sharing a flat near London. They had all been ready to move out and with Scorpius and Al being on the same team they had somehow just ended up as roommates. Not long after that Blain had been accepted into the auror training program and he had been invited to share the flat.

Lily had been invited to help them look for the flat and she thought they had made a great choice. It was large but sparsely furnished right now. They each had their own room though they were rarely home. The kitchen was warm and inviting and there was a small fireplace in the living room.

She had been excited and happy for them when they had moved in, but all their plans for visiting each other over the summer had gone by the wayside. Lily spent much of her summer alone. The house was quiet and she found she didn't like it. Part way through, Uncle George had invited her to come work in the joke shop. This had given her the excitement and noise she now craved but she still missed Scorpius fiercely.

Before she had known it, the new school year was ready to begin. It had been a strange trip. The normally cramped car was much too large. She and Hugo sat with Lor and Ly and her new friend Muriel. Marcus was up in the head's car. He had been ecstatic when he had been chosen as Head Boy. Lily had been very happy for him, but he had yet to make an appearance in their car to say hello. Actually, he had been suspiciously absent during the summer as well. They had not talked much. They had shared an occasional letter, but that was about it.

She sighed, knowing something was up with her boyfriend, but not knowing what. During the last few months he had grown short with her and very distant in general. It was something they would have to address soon, but for now she had other things to worry about.

She was now in her 6th year and all of her NEWT classes had begun. She no longer had someone to sit with in the mornings and it made her lonely and irritable. She didn't get to talk to Scorpius much, though they did write letters twice a week. It just wasn't the same.

She was grumpy in the mornings but she was not willing to invite someone else to come sit with her. It just wouldn't work because she knew she would expect them to be Scorpius and they would not be Scorpius. She would be even grumpier. She thought about finding somewhere else to sit and draw in the mornings, but no where else felt right. She was happy and comfortable against her tree. She could even see their initials there in the bark. It had been childish and silly, but on their last day at school they had carved their initials in the tree. That way she would always have him sitting with her.

At least one thing had been going really well. She had been chosen as the quidditch captain. That made three Potter captains and they had won the Quidditch Cup every year a Potter was made captain. It was a lot of extra work, but she found that it helped with the loneliness.

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The weeks sped by. School was settling back down. She did a lot of drawing in the mornings, but she always spent half of the time out by their tree writing to Scorpius. Maybe that was why they didn't write every day. They wouldn't be able to read the novels they sent to each other. Scorpius wrote about being tired, about how he loved the games, how he and Al were getting along, and anything else he could think about. Lily wrote about school and Marcus and about how it was so quiet without most of the Weasleys and Potters around.

She even wrote about Muriel. Muriel was still as soft spoken as ever and always seemed so unsure of herself. She was always watching Lily for direction. She flirted with boys that Lily smiled at. She watched Lily's mannerisms and she copied them. At first Lily had laughed it off, but after a few weeks it had become a bit much. She was not sure how to approach that particular topic. She asked for Scorpius' advice but he had not answered her back on that yet.

Lily was currently sitting in the all house common room reading the latest letter from Scorpius. She loved sitting in front of the fire as she read them. It always made her think of breaks spent at her parent's house where she and Scorpius would sit and talk in front of the fire for hours at a time. This was where Marcus found her.

Lily smiled at him and she tucked her letter away. She could see he was a bit agitated. Her smile faded to a small frown. "What's the matter Marcus?"

He looked up startled. "What? Oh nothings wrong." His hands were twisting in his lap. He wasn't looking at her. She glanced around the room following his gaze. It was then that she realized they were all alone in the common room. It was very late and most students had gone on to bed. Finally he met her eyes.

"Lily, do you like me?"

That simple question threw her. It was odd coming from Marcus' mouth. "Of course I like you. What kind of question is that?"

He ignored her. "Lily, I like you and I think I am ready for the next step."

Lily's eyes narrowed. "And what step are we talking about here?"

"Well, we have been dating almost a year now and I really like you and you like me, it's only natural that we take the next step."

"Right and what in Merlin's name do you see as the next step?" Lily's voice was dangerously low.

"This." Marcus leaned forward and kissed her hard on the mouth. He caught her by surprise but she kissed back. He deepened the kiss, but he was not his usual slow self. This was hard and rough. It started to hurt. Lily went to pull away, but Marcus held the back of her head tightly. The other hand started to reach for her shirt. He tried to fumble with it and roughly started to grope her through the fabric.

Now Lily began to fight against him. He fell forward and his weight began to crush her. She tried to scream, but the sound caught in her throat. This was not Marcus. What the hell was going on? Lily felt panic begin to seize her. Her hands were pinned by his weight. This was not like Marcus. Tears began to leak from her eyes. Suddenly Marcus pulled away and saw the look of fear in her eyes and the tears that stained her cheeks. He seemed to be coming out of a trance.

"Oh my… Lily…what have I done?" Lily had pulled away from him. She was now backed up to the wall scrambling for her wand. He tried to advance, his hand outstretched and his eyes pleading.

"Don't you come near me!" Her raw nerves were already shot but he didn't see that. He just wanted to make everything better. Lily raised her wand. "I am warning you Marcus, don't you take another step."

Her voice wavered and that seemed to hit a note with him. He stopped. "Lily let me explain. I am so sorry. Please…"

"What the hell was that? What in the name of…what the hell was that?"

"I'm sorry Lily. I just needed…I was just so angry at someone and I…I took it out on you." Again he took a step forward but she was not ready to let him anywhere near her again.

"You take another step and I will hex you Marcus. You will regret it!"

Hurt was etched on his face. This was the Marcus she knew, but after his earlier display she was not ready to trust him. She was very confused and hurt. He advanced another step. Lily could feel her body begin to shake. This was someone she trusted and he had just hurt her. This was someone she was sure would never hurt her. They had been distant for the last few months, but she had thought he was still her friend. Or he had been…still was…oh she was so confused.

Marcus tried to move forward again. Lily raised her wand and shouted the first spell that came to her mind. It was the jelly leg jinx. As he fell to the ground, Lily ran past him. He called her name, but she continued to run down the hall. She had to get out of there and away from him. He had tried to hurt her! She couldn't believe it! Merlin she needed Scorpius. She needed to have him there to just hold her. It was too soon after everything. She was raw and scared and… Lily looked up and realized she had made it to her dorm. Without a backward glace she ran to her bed.

Tucked in the warm sheets she tried to close her eyes and forget about boys and fears. That night images of dark eyes haunted her dreams. For the first time in months, she woke up crying and biting her lip to keep from screaming. All she could think was that she really needed Scorpius.

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"Please Lily, if you can just let me explain. I didn't mean to hurt you." Marcus had cornered her in the library the next day. She had almost run, but realized that there were enough people around that she should be ok. They were in the far end of the library and found herself against a wall again though. She tried to keep her voice low and even, but she found that it was cracking.

"You did hurt me though. That was not you. After everything I have been through you come in here and try to force me to…to…to... I can't even say it Marcus!"

"No Lily! That wasn't what I was trying to do…I just…I don't know what I was trying to do. I was trying to prove something I guess."

She could feel the fear leaving her and the anger rising. "That you could hurt me? What are you playing? You have been distant all summer and you thought I would…what?... enjoy that? That's not like you!"

Marcus hung his head. "I am so sorry Lily. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was angry at…someone…and I was trying to prove that I was a man and I went about it the wrong way."

She could feel her heart slow down and she could feel the anger begin to fade. This was the Marcus she knew. She was not letting down her guard though. She was watching his every move. He seemed to see that she was relaxing though. He moved forward again. She was against the wall and she couldn't back up any more.

"No!" She saw the startled look on his face. "Sorry, no, I am not ready for you to be near me again. Not when…I'm not ready to have you touch me. I mean you hurt me because you were mad at someone. I think I deserve to know what it is about."

"I know you do. Look the person…I…Merlin this is hard." He was quiet and Lily stood waiting for him to continue. "I just needed to know something and I went about it the wrong way."

"For the love of…Just spit it out Marcus." _I can't believe I am taking things this well._ The thought hit her and she almost laughed. Stress was getting to her.

Marcus looked up, his eyes scared. His voice was so low and quiet that she was not sure she had heard him when he spoke. "What?"

"I'm gay."

Lily's eyes went wide. "Excuse me?"

He lowered his head. "That's why I have been so distant. I met someone this summer…"

She was in shock. "Like a…guy?"

He nodded slowly. "He just seemed to know and he kept asking me when I had come out. It just made me so angry. I had never thought of myself as gay and here this guy is telling me things about myself. It just…it caught me off guard. I was not ready to accept it. He just kept pushing all summer. Well, I got a letter from me and he was making fun of my 'act at being straight' and he made fun at the fact that I was dating you. He kept pushing the fact that we had nothing more than kiss. He told me that after a year if I was really straight I would have done more. It just made me so mad that I…well I did something really stupid."

He was quiet again. Lily stared at him. She didn't know what to say or what to feel. This just seemed to come from nowhere. A part of her was relieved. It explained the strain in their relationship and all the awkward moments they had had over the year. But another part did not know if she should feel upset or angry or what. He had lied to her, but he had not realized he was lying to her.

"I…don't know what to say Marcus. I guess it explains things, but I don't know what I am supposed to feel." He looked at her.

"I just care about you so much. That is true. I only hope you can forgive me. I would like to remain friends."

Lily decided that honesty was all she could give him. "I just don't know Marcus." With that, Lily grabbed her bag and ran from the library. She didn't look back.

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Ok, sorry for the weird chapter. I think I am working on too little sleep. I just really like Marcus and I want them to remain friends, so this is my way of doing it. I also have a plan for Marcus later in the story. Thank you for all the reviews. No this is not the end, though as I looked at the last chapter, I can see where it looked like it. Thanks again for all the readers and the reviews.


	14. The Birthday Gift

Again, sorry for the odd last chapter. I wasn't exactly sure how to tie it into the story smoothly so I think it got a bit choppy. Anyway, on with the story. (I will be out for a few days so I will not be updating the story as frequently as usual. It will be no more than a week however. Thanks for continuing to read.)

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Lily was in a bit of a daze for the first few days after Marcus' admission. She had run through all of her emotions and now she was just drained. It was not every day that your boyfriend informed you he was gay. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react or what she was supposed to say to him. Every time they passed in the halls, Marcus would look at her with huge eyes asking for forgiveness.

Lily was not sure what she could do or what she needed to do. Now she was lonelier that ever and she couldn't even say anything to Scorpius. She knew he would have the answer for her, but it was not her secret to tell. Just talking to Marcus and she knew that he was still dealing with coming out and he had not given her permission to tell others. Despite what he had done, she couldn't do that to him. He was still her friend even if she didn't know when they would talk again.

Part of that was pride. She had not expected anything. And she was convinced she should have noticed something, she should have known. The truth was that she was thrown because she had not expected this. They were perfect for each other. Their personalities worked so well and they were so comfortable with each other. She just couldn't believe that she had not even suspected.

Another part of her problem was that she didn't know how to approach him. How did she go up to someone and tell them she forgave them when she was not sure she had. She had forgiven his actions, but her pride still had been wounded. Lily wasn't ready to forgive that wounded pride.

So Lily continued her routine never sure what to do. Lord this was turning out to be a horrible year. The workload was huge but at least she didn't have NEWTS this year. Her dad had been right that summer. She should have tried more with her same year friendships. They were friendly to her and she could hold conversations but they all had their own cliques by now and she did not have a close friendship with any of them. Even Lor and Ly and Hugo had their own little groups. She had spent so much time with the older students that she had forgotten the others.

Lily sighed. If she wanted this to be a bearable year she was going to have to find a way to talk to Marcus. She didn't mind Muriel. Even with her tendency to copy everything Lily did, she was still a very nice and sweet girl. But Muriel was clingy and she was talkative. Lily needed a friend that would listen not just talk. Now she just needed a plan.

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Lily got her opportunity to talk to Marcus two weeks later. So far her Gryfindor courage had failed her and it seemed that Marcus was making sure she got the space he thought she needed. Lily had taken to spending extra time in the library. Extra practice kept her mind off her problems. She had always been advanced for her age because it had all come so naturally, but now she was excelling at an even quicker pace. She was the first to master new spells and potions. It seemed that nothing was too difficult for her and the professors were starting to run out of advanced spells for her age.

Lily was in the library trying to find a book for her essay on the effects of mint in potions when she stumbled upon Marcus. It was the closest she had been to him in weeks. He looked tired and pale. His head was slumped on the table trying to finish an essay for his NEWT potions class. In all of this Lily had forgotten that this was his final year and he would be taking NEWTS. Marcus was a bright student, but it didn't come easy. She remembered how stressed he got during tests. She also remembered that he wanted to get involved in law making and that was a difficult field. It put you under a lot of stress and he was under a lot of family pressure to do well in everything.

Lily felt her heart break. She had not been a friend to him. She knew he had hurt her but only her pride. He needed a friend more than ever now and she had let him down. She had not been there to listen to him as she should have been. Lily felt ashamed of herself. Slowly she reached out a hand and tapped his shoulder. Marcus jumped and glanced around wildly. When his eyes found Lily, he blushed and quickly looked down. Lily sighed and sat down. Her voice was quiet as she talked to him.

"I am so sorry Marcus." Marcus looked up at that in surprise. She felt her heart break again. Her friend should not be surprised that she was talking to him. She had really mucked this up. She was not usually the one to apologize. That was usually Scorpius. For the first time that year she smiled fully. Marcus smiled at her. Her smile seemed to put him at ease, but the smile was still sad.

He shook his head. "No Lily. I am the one who needs to apologize. I handled it really badly. I was a complete and utter arse. I can only hope you forgive me."

Lily took his hands. "Only if you forgive me. I made some really poor decisions. I forgot that you were my friend in my anger. You just caught me by surprise. I never saw that one coming. If it was anyone else I would have thought it was a poor attempt at a break up excuse." Lily winked at him to show she was joking.

Marcus laughed. "Well if it makes you feel better it caught me by surprise too. I guess I have known for a long time, but I never thought to admit it to myself. And we got along so well that I knew I could make it work. But then I thought about sex and it just scared me. What if you guessed I wasn't really enjoying it the way I should be?"

"Good to know that the thought of having sex with me helped you to realize you were gay." Lily gave him a mock glare and watched as his face began to go beet red.

"That wasn't what I meant and you know it." Lily laughed at him. "I meant that we work so well together that if I couldn't make it with you I knew I couldn't make it with any girl. I knew then that I had to be gay to not be attracted to you."

"Relax. I know what you meant." Lily leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. All of a sudden the year didn't seem like it was going to be so long. It seemed like she could handle it now. Marcus was just the friend she needed right now and she knew he needed her as well. Time to be that friend. "So when did you really decide you were gay?"

She could see the relief on his face. He had not been able to talk about this to anyone so far. She could see it written all over his face and she knew he needed to talk about it. After her kidnapping she had been told that she needed to talk about it. The problem was that the only person she wanted to talk to about it was not able to listen. Scorpius had been so raw that she knew she could not make him go though it. Lucky for her Oz seemed to understand and he had been there to listen. To this day Scorpius had never asked a single question about that time. He knew how close he had been to losing her and he did not want to be reminded. It was because of this that she knew Marcus needed to have that person to just listen.

"Well this summer my folks took me to meet some friends from America. They had a son about my age and we started to get along really well. It turns out he is gay. Towards the end of the summer he asked me when I had come out. Well I was completely caught off guard. It was something that had always been there but I had never given it much thought. This guy who barely knows me comes out and says something and I admit I didn't take it well. He just kept pushing and before I knew it I felt like I had to prove to the guy that I was straight and not gay."

He looked up sheepishly at Lily. "I guess that's why I was such an ass. I was trying to prove to myself that I was straight when really I was just trying to kid myself." Lily smiled at him.

"So this American? Someone you can see yourself with?"

"You know, I asked myself that same question. But honestly I don't think so. I could see myself friends with him, but he is just too flamboyant for me, too wild."

Lily nodded and the two continued to talk. It felt so good to just talk. It was the best day of her 6th year so far. She smiled and Marcus gave her the look that asked why she was smiling so hard. "I was just thinking that this is going to be a pretty damn good year if it continues like this."

Marcus smiled and laughed. "Yeah, I guess it could." He started, "Hey, isn't it your 17th birthday this Halloween?" Lily nodded.

"Yeah, I already have Albus and Scorpius shaking in fear. For the last two years they have been able to torment me at holidays because they could use magic and I couldn't. But now the tables have turned. And I am practicing all sorts of new spells. I even found one to make them see everything with giant floating spots. I also plan to try out the one that makes their broom fly away from them every time they try to get on. It is going to be a wonderful Christmas."

They continued to laugh and talk. It was almost like old times.

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Lily's birthday came and went and she enjoyed it immensely. She was flooded with owls and gifts from friends and family. They had had her summer birthday party as normal but 17 was a big deal so more letter arrived on the day.

The only person she did not receive anything from was Scorpius. Lily kept checking her mirror or her scroll to see if he had left a message that way. It was the first birthday he had missed since they had become friends and Lily was very hurt. She knew that he was kept extremely busy. Al had only been able to pen a few simple lines, but he had still written.

Lily was half tempted to call him on the mirrors just to give him a piece of her mind, but pride stopped her. She wanted him to remember this day without her prompting him. Maybe he was just waiting to be the last one to say something to her. Maybe he was sending her a letter as right now. It wasn't like she didn't get a letter from him every few days anyway. None of them had mentioned her birthday at all.

Lily went all day. There was the feast and still no word. She was furious and so very disappointed. Never had he been this callous. Even when they were fighting he had made an effort. Lily went to sleep that night not even looking forward to the Hogmeade trip the next day.

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Lily woke in a foul mood. She was still hurt that Scorpius had not thought of her birthday. She had shed a tear or two and that was very unlike her. Obviously her emotions were much too raw right now. Marcus seemed to sense that she was very out of sorts that morning. She wanted to skip the trip into town, but he wouldn't let her. He told her that this was the time she needed to go. She needed to lift her spirits.

Reluctantly she agreed and found herself following him into Hogsmeade. The sun and the walk lifted her spirits some but she was still in a bad mood when they made it to the small village.

They were just deciding where to go when Lily was grabbed from behind. She gave a soft scream and whirled around to come face to face with none other than Scorpius Malfoy himself. She stared, her brain not fully processing that she was staring at the very person she missed so desperately. He gave her a cockeyed grin hugging her tightly again.

"Happy Birthday Lily!" Hearing his voice snapped her out of her trance. She was still so angry that he had not even sent a small note that she flew at him. She began to hit him fiercely. Every inch of him she could reach. Each hit was punctuated with her screaming.

"You complete ass Scorpius Malfoy. I thought you had forgotten about my birthday! Even Al managed to send a note and I heard nothing from you!" By now he was trying to dodge the blows with his hands covering his head.

"Ow! Ouch! Lily stop that hurts! Ow! Look I'm sorry, I knew if I wrote to you I would let the surprise slip. Ow! Stop!"

She ran out of steam and before he knew what hit him, she had launched herself into his arms. "Lord I missed you!" She hid her face in the crock of his shoulder. He tentatively put arms around her and hugged her tightly again. His voice was soft.

"I'm sorry Lily, I never meant for you to think I had forgotten. You know I would never do such a thing. I just wanted to surprise you so badly."

Lily leaned back and gave him a dazzling smile. "This is a perfect birthday gift!" Scorpius felt floored by that smile. Lord he had missed her. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think about her every hour on the hour. He wondered what she was doing and if she was thinking of him too. He felt his heart flutter slightly as he held her slight frame against his body. It just felt so right. He smiled at her.

"Well then, let's go get a butterbeer and enjoy this time we have. I have to be back for practice tonight but I convinced them to let me go for a little bit. Anything you want to do and it is yours."

Marcus smiled at them, shooing the two off to go enjoy their day. Lily grabbed Scorpius' hand and ran off. She was not going to waste a minute of her day with Scorpius.

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OK, hope you like. I know it is short but I want to get through Lily's final school years quickly. I have some plans for her once she gets out and I can't really think of many other things to happen while she is in school. It is a time where she and Scorpius kind of go their own ways for a few years. Let me know what you think. Thanks again.


	15. Coming Home for Holidays

Thanks for all the reviews. There is one main theme…you want to see Scorpius and Lily together. I do too, but not this chapter. Sorry folks. I hope you will continue to read. Really, I promise you will enjoy the ending of this story but they are not ready yet. Hope you like this chappie anyway….

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Lily snuggled close to Scorpius as they sipped on butter beers. She couldn't believe she had thought he would forget her birthday. She really should have known better. With a contented sigh she snuggled even closer. She felt Scorpius chuckle as he pulled her closer to her side.

"You really did believe I had forgotten your birthday didn't you?" She heard the laugh in his voice. She smiled at him and gave him a gentle nudge.

"Well you haven't exactly had time for me lately so I just assumed you had flown away with some young fan and you weren't ever going to bother to write."

Scorpius gave her a wink. "I thought about it, but then it is so hard to find a good friend these days." She giggled at that but his face grew more serious, "Look, I'm sorry I have been so busy. They told me that next year will be better. This year there are just too many new faces so we have to practice twice as hard to get to know each other and to work like a team. They said you usually have more breathing room. I really will try Lily. I know it can't be easy with so many of us gone."

Lily gave him a brilliant smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"What bull. You miss me almost as much as I miss you, but thanks for the brave face."

Now Lily's face grew more serious. "Of course I miss you. And I am glad you will have more time next year. It has been hard, but you are here now so let's make the most of it. No more sad faces or apologies. I want to enjoy my birthday gift!"

Scorpius laughed as Lily pulled him from the table. He threw some money down and off they went. They wandered into stores and took a long walk. They talked and laughed and told jokes. Never once did they let go of each other. They did not know the next time they would see each other and they were drinking in every moment. James was working the joke shop so they talked to him for awhile. As they left the store Lily heard James whisper to the young girl at the counter, "I wish they would just get it over with already. Honestly, you never see them apart; they might as well make it official."

Lily was left to wonder what he meant because Scorpius was now dragging her out of the store. It was the best Hogsmeade trip ever, but it was over much too soon. They watched the sun sink slowly in the sky. It was growing colder and Lily gave a little shiver. Without a word Scorpius pulled off his team jumper and handed it to her. Lily gave a grateful smile and pulled the warm material over her head. She took a deep breath in. It was distinctly Scorpius. It was similar to the smell just before a rainstorm. It was fresh and cool and exciting.

Scorpius slowed his steps as they neared the castle. There at the gates stood Marcus. He was waiting for her so they could go to dinner together. She saw Scorpius scowl. "I forgot about him."

Lily rolled her eyes at him. "Be nice. He is the one keeping me sane without everyone."

"Don't tell me you are still snogging him. Really Lily." Lily laughed at him.

"What's it to you if I am?"

"Honestly, you deserve better." Scorpius was staring at her with a very serious look in his eyes. She shook her head at him.

"Like who? Blain?" She laughed as his eyes sparked a bit. She had never told him about her conversation with Blain. He still believed Blain had a 'thing' for her and she enjoyed teasing him about his theory.

"He would be better at least." Scorpius grumbled under his breath. Lily gave him a like shove.

"You are terrible. Don't worry. I can take care of myself." She thought about telling him that she was no longer seeing Marcus, but she decided that she wanted to wait until she could tell him the whole story. That involved getting the ok from Marcus to share his status.

The two stopped walking and Scorpius turned her to face him. He kept his hands on her shoulders. "Promise me you will write soon. I will miss you." She grinned and threw herself into his arms for a hug. She didn't want him to see the tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want to see him go. Lily spoke into his neck and he held her tight.

"Thank you for my gift. It was so good to see you Scor. It meant a lot."

Scorpius pulled away with a twinkle in his eye. "Who said that was your only gift?" Lily stared with wide eyes. _There was more?_

Out of his pocket, Scorpius pulled out a small badge. She realized it was a quidditch pass. She stared again.

"Turns out we each get two special tickets. There is a special box and you can come into the team area as long as you have this season pass. This one is for you."

She reached out with slightly shaking fingers. "But, Scor, what about your parents? Surely you want them to have those two tickets."

He laughed. "When they found out about me getting a spot on the team they went and bought a private box. Sitting with a bunch of families they don't know isn't something my parents would ever do. I thought about giving them to your parents. I mean they have done so much for me over the years that I wanted to pay them back, but with Al being on the team…" Scorpius shrugged. "Then I got together with Al. Your mum already gets special passes so she doesn't need one of these. Al really wanted James to have a ticket but you know he also wants Renee to have one too."

Renee was Al's girlfriend at the time. It looked fairly serious and the family was just waiting for an announcement. "Well, we decided that I would give you a ticket and Al would give one to your dad and James. That left one ticket to give away. I thought about Blain, but he is so busy right now that he wouldn't be able to really use it, so I sent my ticket to Renee. So you may have to put up with your future sister-in-law at the games, but I thought you would like that better than you having to share with my girlfriends."

Lily laughed at the last part. He had known that she would have scoffed at the thought that he would only have one girlfriend during the upcoming season. Lily looked down at her ticket.

"It will get you into any of our games. The next one you can make will be during Christmas break. There is a team party after that we can go to." Lily threw herself at Scorpius.

"This is perfect. Thank you!"

She heard him mumble into her hair. "Anything for you Lily." She hugged her harder. Minutes ticked by and still they stood there like that. Finally Lily pulled away.

"It was good to see you Scor. I'll write soon." She leaned up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Just then Scorpius turned his head to kiss her cheek. Their lips met in a brief, chaste kiss. Lily was startled and blushed bright red. His lips were soft and inviting. She could see why so many girls had joined him for late night study groups. She looked up at him as she pulled away hastily. She was surprised to see him blushing too.

"Night Lily." Lily nodded and wandered to the door. If she had looked back she would have seen Scorpius standing in the dying light with his fingers held lightly to his lips.

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The weeks flew by now. Scorpius was true to his word and he tried to be a little more available. Lily would go to sleep with her mirror by her bed. Just before he went to sleep, Scorpius would call. If she was not sleeping too deeply they would talk for a few minutes before both drifting off together. Lily sometimes awoke to find herself clutching the mirror to her chest.

The time at Hogwarts was no longer lonely. She still missed him in the mornings, but now she could talk to him face to face and that helped. She and Marcus were quickly becoming inseparable. They were often found being followed by Muriel. Lily did not have the heart to tell her to go away. Lily knew she was just looking for acceptance. Lily did her best not to snap at the girl when her puppy antics went too far.

All in all the next few months at Hogwarts was much better. She still could not wait for Christmas break. Scorpius had a few days off coming before he had to go back to training. They would get to have Christmas and a few other days before he and Al had to go back to training. Their game would be just before New Years Eve.

The day to go home arrived and Lily was at the door waiting for all the others to show up. She was agitated and jumpy waiting for them to make it to the Great Hall. Slowly students began to emerge. Lily bounded onto the train and settled into her eat. Muriel, Higo, Marcus, and the twins soon followed, though none seemed as excited as Lily. She was bouncing up and down and full of energy. Hugo finally growled at her to calm down. Lily stared out the window. Just another day and she would get to see Scorpius again.

The train slowly pulled into the station. Through the steam Lily saw her dad and Aunt Hermione waiting for them to arrive. She grabbed her trunk and was waiting at the door even as the train was still moving. She was the first to jump off the train. She was running for her dad when he stepped to the side.

There stood Scorpius and Al. With a squeal she threw herself at them both. "You weren't supposed to be here for days yet."

Al laughed at her. "We talked them into letting us go early. We have been putting in extra hours and we promised to come in for early day training tomorrow and the next day to make up for missing today's workout. We wanted to be here to welcome you back home." Lily smiled up at her brother.

"So Al, tell me, is Scorpius really as much of a pain to live with as I think he is?" The small group laughed as they moved towards home.

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The days were wonderful. Scorpius and Al shared Al's old room and Lily couldn't have been happier. It was just like old times. Because of vacation schedules, the family Christmas party was moved up a few days. The whole family met at the burrow a few days before Christmas. Lily stood with a smiling Scorpius next to her.

She looked up at him. He seemed to be in his element. She laughed to think of the quiet, overwhelmed boy he had been during their first big party. Now the large and loud family didn't ever faze him. He smiled and laughed and joked with them all. He joined the pick up quidditch game and played chess with cousins and Uncle Ron. Out of the house came running little Harrison. After greeting Harry, he launched himself into the arms of his favorite 'Uncle Scorpius'.

Scorpius swung the small boy into the air. He giggled as Scorpius threw him high and caught him. It always warmed Lily's heart to see the two play. It seemed to her that Scorpius had never had this kind of warm childhood. He deserved the chance to play. With a laugh she ran to join her family.

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Christmas came and went and Lily found herself sitting on the train sooner than she would have liked. Outside the scenery passed quickly. It had been a wonderful break. She had seen Al and Scorpius play and win against the Kenmare Kestrels. It had been an exciting game and in the end Scorpius had risen, victorious.

The party that night had been wonderful. She had danced with many of the team members and their families had been there. She had not had such a great time in ages.

But it had been over much too fast. She now sat in the train thinking _I can't wait for summer!_

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OK, short but sweet. I little jumpy, but my brain is shot. For those of you waiting for the hook up, just a few more chapters. I have it all set up in my head now I just need to get it out. Hope you enjoy.


	16. Graduation and all the Jazz

It seemed like no time at all had passed. Now Lily Potter stood with her cousin Hugo ready to leave Hogwarts for the last time. The last few years had moved so quickly Lily almost didn't realize they were gone. Marcus had moved on the year previously. He was now working in the ministry of magic in the department of mysteries. He was an apprentice of some sort, though he could not tell her much about what he did there. He was still not ready to announce to the world that he was gay, but he had told their friends. Lily had smiled at Scorpius. His look was incredulous.

"How long have you known?"

"About two months now."

"So when I came to visit you…you knew?"

Lily gave him an apologetic smile. "I couldn't tell you. Marcus had just come out to me and I didn't want to go into explanations without having the ok from him. It wasn't for me to tell you."

Scorpius huffed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, but you had me thinking you were still dating him."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh please. What would you have done if I had told you we weren't dating anymore? You would have questioned me to no end and I would have felt bad for not being able to explain things fully."

"Well, I would have…oh I don't know what I would have done." Scorpius muttered something under his breath that Lily couldn't hear. Before she could clarify his words he spoke again, "Still…well that does explain some things."

"Oh, and what things are those?"

Scorpius winked. "Only someone who is gay or stupid would lose you without a fight. And we know your brainiac ex-boyfriend is far from stupid." Lily had laughed along with the rest of their friends. Marcus smiled at them all. No one had treated him differently, though there were now great jokes about setting him up on dates. Lily knew that he had feared rejection from their friends since most were male.

When Marcus had left school, Lily had missed him almost as much as she had missed Scorpius, but her new Head Girl Duties had once again helped to keep her busy. She had thrown herself into her studies. Harry had jokingly called her a replica of Aunt Hermione one year at Christmas. Aunt Hermione had glared at him. "Is it so wrong to want to do well? Honestly Harry, you can be worse than Ron." Uncle Ron had raced to his friend's rescue.

"Aw Hermione, we just didn't see the need to study every single night. There are other things to do besides homework you know." This had started a small debate between the couple. Harry and Ginny had laughed quietly as they watched two of their oldest friends continue an argument that was years in the making. Lily and Scorpius had merely excused themselves from the group and gone upstairs to relax.

That had been months ago and Lily knew the extra practice had paid off. No one else in their class could pick up a spell or potion as quickly as Lily. She was quick on her feet too. In the dueling club very few wanted to go against her. She knew all of this would pay off. During her NEWTS she had known almost every answer. She had left feeling extremely confident. Soon her dream of becoming an auror would be a reality.

Everyone knew Lily was going to be a great auror, probably as good as her father. They fully expected her to follow his footsteps all the way to Head of the department. Part of her was so excited and yet part of her felt like throwing up. She knew she had a lot to live up to. All she had ever wanted to do was to follow her father, but he was an amazing wizard and it was going to be a long hard road. She did not kid herself on that. Most put her father on a pedestal and they would expect her to be better than her father.

Lily shook the daunting thoughts from her mind. That was a long ways away. She brought herself back to reality. She stood with Hugo waiting for the train to arrive. With a small smile, she turned to see the castle sitting in the distance. It stood tall and reassuring. She remembered her first year. She had been so nervous to start. She was the youngest Potter and had some very talented Weasley and Potter children had come before her. She had known even then that the expectations would be high for her. That had been why she had practiced say and night while James and Al had been at school. She had wanted to live up to them.

That had been where she had met Scorpius. He had been her first friend that had not been family related. He had seemed like a quiet sort of person and that day on the train she had felt a connection. She had known that they could be wonderful friends. Every time she had approached them she had had to swallow butterflies, but in the end she had made the best friend in the world. Even now she knew he would be waiting for her to get off the train. Even now she could go to him with problems and jokes and ideas. At the thought of Scorpius, Lily felt warmth infuse her body. Lately she had begun to feel warm at the very thought of her friend. It was an odd feeling, unlike anything she had ever felt. If it had been anyone else she would have said it was a crush. Lily shook her head at the ridiculous though. Honestly, a crush.

In the distance, a train could be heard. Within minutes, it was parked in the station waiting for students to climb aboard. She smiled at Hugo, "Ready Hugo?" The two boarded the train. They glanced back at the place they had lived for almost the last seven years. Lily gave the vanishing castle one last water look before turning back to her cousin. She smiled as the train moved faster and faster towards the future.

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As always, Al and Scorpius had been there to greet Lily and Hugo. "Hey graduates!" The two had shouted as Lily and Hugo stumbled off the train. Harry and Ginny stood with wide smiling faces. Harry had tears in his eyes as he watched his youngest come towards him. She gave him a tight hug. He whispered in her ear. "I am so proud of you."

Something in those quiet words caused small tears to form in her eyes. With a tight throat she answered, "Thank you. For everything." Harry hugged her harder.

Next Ginny hugged her hard. Al ran up and swept her into a great big bear hug. All the quidditch practices had done wonders for her brother. He was lean and strong and he now had a wonderful tan. His dark locks now had lighter streaks from the sun mixed in. His face was older and more mature now. Lily now was forced to look up to see him. He had grown taller in the last few years and now Lily felt just how short she really was. She had never been tall…but this was a bit ridiculous. It didn't take anything to pick her up. The only person she didn't seem to mind being picked up by was Scorpius. Of course, he had been picking her up for years so she was used to it.

Scorpius had always been the tall one of the group, but now Lily could see that was no longer true. Al was now right up there with him. Speaking of being picked up, Scorpius reached over and grabbed Lily right out of Al's grip. He swung her high into the air and kissed her on the cheek. "My doll, how does it feel to be all grown up?" He gave her a roguish smile and finally set her feet back on the ground. Lily gave him a mock glare.

"Your what?"

With a little wink Scorpius smiled, "Well you are small enough to be a doll so I thought it was appropriate." Lily stuck her tongue out at Scorpius as the others laughed. Scorpius slung his arm around her. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. C'mon Lily. It's time for the new graduates to go enjoy the party being held in their honor at the Burrow."

The group on the platform headed towards the cars. It was going to be a very long night.

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Everyone Lily or Hugo had ever known seemed to be at the party. Friends and family were packed into every inch. Teddy's kids, Harrison and Andy, were everywhere at once. Rose had brought her new beau, a young man that worked in the same department at the ministry. She had also brought her friend Melinda as well. Blain, Oz, Marcus, and a number of quidditch players were also present.

There was Hagrid and Professor McGonagall as well as Professor Longbottom and his family. Grandma Weasley was in her element. Aunts and Uncles and cousins were in every nook and cranny. Friends from school that had also graduated were also there. Lor and Ly were there with their parents. Muriel was there, though her parents would be just a bit late.

Lily was hugged and squeezed so much that she was sure she was going to pop. Her only saving grace was that Scorpius never once left her side. He would whisper jokes into her ear when she was ready to scream if one more person picked her up. She loved her family, but even for someone used to it, it could be overwhelming when all the attention was focused on you.

Finally everyone had given congratulations to Lily and they had moved onto Hugo. With a sigh, Lily and Scorpius escaped outside to see James, Renee, Al, Rose, Lor, Ly, Fred, Blain, Oz and Marcus all enjoying the summer heat. The sun was starting to go down. Without even saying anything, they split into two groups and grabbed brooms. The impromptu quidditch match was just what they needed to relax a little bit. Lily had not played against Scorpius in months and she could not wait to try out some new moves.

Soon the bell for dinner rang, and the happy group ran to wash up. The time had been needed and Lily felt she was again ready to join her family inside. Scorpius kept jokingly poking her leg as they ate until Lily had reached down and poked him back with her fork.

Renee was sitting on Lily's other side. "So, where will you be living now that you are graduated?" Lily chewed on her food thoughtfully. She had not thought that far ahead yet. She knew that her summer would probably be spent at home until she found her own place. Al looked up at her.

"Well, Lily spent quite a bit of time last summer staying with us, so I imagine we will be seeing her over at our place a lot."

Blain looked up from across the table. "You know, the couple above us is getting ready to move out."

Scorpius glanced up. "That's right. Lily you could live there. I mean you already spend so much time with us anyway, you might as well be in the same building. The place above us is just a small studio apartment, but it is really nice. It has a great big open kitchen and living room with huge windows that look out over London. There is also a desk that gets great sun in the mornings."

Lily looked up. "When are they moving out?" It was perfect. She would be close to family and friends and yet she would have her own space. It would be wonderful.

"About a month I think." Blain smiled at her. Soon she and Blain were in deep conversation about everything they could do if she moved into the apartment. She was so deep into conversation that she did not see the deep frown on Scorpius' face. He was more quiet than usual and He did not seem to want to join the conversation as much as usual. Few but Al seemed to notice. James was the other one to look up and see Al's pointed look. After a shared grin James and mouthed to Al, "Two months." The brothers chuckled and watched as Lily and Blain continue to talk and Scorpius continued to scowl

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The party went on for hours. It seemed that the family did not want it to break up. Harrison was in his element with Harry and Scorpius both pulling out their wands for his amusement. His little sister, Andrea Jo, was also joining in the fun. She was about three now and she loved to torment her little brother. Harrison took it in stride, but every once in awhile, he would snap at her, sending her into a fit of tears. Lily smiled up at her 'brother' and his family. Teddy seemed so happy now. She could remember when he had first gone off to Hogwarts. That summer he had come home in a terrible mood.

Lily didn't know what had gone wrong or what Harry had said to him, but after that Teddy changed. He sometimes got very angry at nothing in particular, but for the most part, their easy going brother was back. Now it seemed that marriage had brought even more of that easy going nature out. He was calm with his children and very understanding. Lily loved to see him like that. Her dad often told stories about Teddy's parents and she imagined that Teddy was very much like his dad with just a bit of his mom's rebel in him.

Lily glanced over to see Oz and Uncle Percy deep in conversation about some rule or regulation at the ministry. Marcus was talking to Blain and Melinda quietly in the corner. Al and Renee had snuck off somewhere. Hugo sat talking to Rose. Her beau had already left. He had an early day tomorrow. James and Fred were playing cards on the floor. Grandma and Grandpa Weasley were sitting back on the couch surrounded by their children. They were all talking about their own graduations and what it felt like to have the kids so grown up now.

By now there were few more grandchildren as they slowly married. There were a few more babies now, so Andy and Harrison would not be the only ones for long. In fact, their little family was growing bigger by the day. Her Grandparents now joked that they would need to build onto the house now that their family had finally moved out. It was too small for all the grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Lily smiled at all the friends and family in her life. Scorpius looked up with a sleeping Harrison in his lap. Harry had Andy in his. Lily smiled and silently sat down next to Scorpius. He gently shifted Harrison and pulled Lily in tightly to his side. Lily gave a contented sigh and settled her head on Scorpius' shoulder. It just felt so right, like she fit here perfectly. Again her body grew warm and her thoughts flew to that gentle kiss they had shared so long ago. She knew it had not meant anything, but her cheeks felt warm at the mere thought. Scorpius pulled her from her thoughts.

"So, are you going to make it to the game next week?" Lily smiled up at her friend.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

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Lily had also enjoyed many a quidditch match over the last few years. She could not make every one because she still had to go to school, but she made every one she could. The team box was always filled with friends and family and Lily had made friends with many of the team members and those people that came to the games. She would sit and talk to Renee about almost everything. Renee was the first good friend Lily could remember that was female and not a member of her own family. It was wonderful to have a girl to talk to that did not have the family history. They found that they really enjoyed each others company and had many things in common.

This was probably a good thing since Renee was well on her way to becoming a full fledged member of the family. She had a younger sister that was welcomed into the family as well. Scorpius and Lily were now placing bets on the date when Al would pop the question. He had been dating Renee for quite some time now. Al was the serious Potter. He looked forward to settling down and starting a family in a few years. James, on the other hand, was still the playboy of the siblings. He bounced from girl to girl. Harry often joked that he had inherited his namesakes' personalities and their way with women. Grandma Weasley would just roll her eyes and shake her head at that thought. Ginny would laugh and remind Harry that his own father had settled down at a young age. But Harry was just as quick to remind her that he was not necessarily thinking about Grandfather James when he mentioned namesakes.

Meanwhile, Lily had grown closer to some of the team players over the last year and a half. She had even joined in on a pick up game after practice once or twice. The team captain, Ryan Williams, liked to tease Scorpius that they should have waited a few more years. "She is better than you, Scor. Wish we would have known that…" Ryan laughed as he had dodged the bludger Scorpius had thrown his way.

Al was laughing as well. "Yeah, well you wouldn't get her. Lils is off to be an auror after graduation. And she is going to be one mean auror. Trust me, you do not want to piss her off." Al had winked at Scorpius for this last part.

Most of the team were wonderful people. They were warm and inviting to everyone as far as Lily could see. There were one or two people that Lily saw as young playboys. One of these was Phillip McCann. He was not a bad person really. He was more full of himself than anything else. Lily had seen this right away, but she had not wanted to offend any of Scorpius' and Al's teammates. She remembered Scorpius' words from years before. "You don't need to live with them Lily, I do!" She would not make the same mistake twice.

So Lily had laughed at his jokes and smiled when he had complimented her. During all of this she had unwittingly led him to believe she was interested. Al would see her give a tight smile to a lame compliment and she could see him laugh. She had expected the same reaction from Scorpius. She had expected him to laugh and roll his eyes along with her. Scorpius' reaction however had not been expected.

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OK, I think this chapter flowed a little better than the last few. I think I am finally back in my right mind so the next few chapters should lead to the inevitable end quite nicely. I love all the reviews. Thank you.


	17. On the Couch

The fight about Phillip didn't happen all at once. It was something that built up between the two friends for some time, but that came long after the summer. The summer after Lily's graduation was filled with memories. She and her parents went to look at the apartment Blain had mentioned. It was not big by any means but it would be something that was hers alone. Her parents liked that it was open and spacious and that she would have people she knew just below her. Harry knew she was going to be an auror, but she was still his little girl. He liked knowing that three boys he trusted would be downstairs if she needed them for anything.

Lily had even gone out and had keys made for all the boys and they had done the same for her. She knew they could just use a spell, but this was more polite.

Soon those three boys were helping Lily to move in a considerable amount of…junk. They helped move in furniture, boxes, knick knacks, and food. At one point Scorpius reached down to lift up and bag and cursed. "Lord Lily, what did you pack? Rocks? I could have seriously been hurt."

Lily just rolled her eyes. "You are such a wimp. Besides, you could have used magic you know."

"I know, but not everyone in this building is a wizard. It would look pretty funny to see boxes and such float by themselves."

Lily gave him a smile and preformed a simple levitation spell. She then levitated the box over her outstretched arms. It now looked as if she was carrying the box with absolutely no effort and yet no one could tell she was using magic. Scorpius crossed his arms and glared at Lily.

"Smartass." Scorpius mumbled to her all the while trying not to break out into a laugh. Lily could always make him smile even if it was a bit of an insult.

"I am rather smart…well smarter than you anyhow." Lily smiled at his frown. She put down the box and leaned up and kissed his cheek. "But I wouldn't have you any other way."

Scorpius merely blushed and turned to help the other two boys with more boxes. That was the first little jump of her heart that Lily took true notice of. That was the day she began to look at her friend in a different light. It was a little thought, barely something noticeable, but it was there. The seed had been planted, and now all it needed was a chance to grow.

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Lily thoroughly enjoyed her apartment. The first night she stretched under the covers, enjoying her new independence. She felt safe a secure knowing that her family was there, but this was her place. She could eat when and what she wanted. She could go to bed when she wanted and would not get in trouble for being out of bed. She sighed as she looked up at the ceiling of her room. Slowly sleep claimed her.

Lily was dreaming. There she stood by her tree at Hogwarts. In the dream she was happier than she had ever been. Her dream self knew why, she was waiting for someone. She saw them walking slowly towards her with long elegant strides. The sun was rising and it was in her eyes. All she could see was the silhouette but she knew that walk, that figure.

Her heart began to beat faster and faster. Deep down she knew that this was the love of her life, the one that she would compare everyone else to. Her stomach began to flip flop in a crazy pattern. Her lips began to tingle at the thought of his lips. Slowly, the anticipation of their meeting was getting to her. He was so close, she could smell him. But still she could not see his face.

He started to come into focus. Her eyes tried to adjust to the light, to see his face. Her heart felt like it was going to hammer out of chest. All she wanted was to see his face, just once. She was so close, she could almost see those pale eyes shining back at her…

Lily woke from the dream with her heart pounding in her ears. That wasn't the only thing pounding though. Lily was already irritable. Someone had just awoken her from an absolutely marvelous dream and now she was left to wonder just who those eyes belonged to. With an irritated huff she went to answer the door.

There stood Blain with a huge smile on his face. "Lily! You didn't think you would get to sleep your first night here did you? Not around here. That's why we have gifts for you." From behind Blain Lily could see Al, Renee, and Scorpius, all with butterbeers and fire whiskey.

"What is this about?"

"We are here to christen your new apartment!" The small group pushed their way into the apartment. Lily gave a little laugh. The last one to enter was Scorpius. He gave her a little smile. "I tried to stop them, but you know Blain. I know you probably want to sleep, but this happens to be a night off for us and we always tend to stay up late so we thought we would come up with some gifts." Scorpius' voice trailed off. It was then that he realized that Lily really had been asleep. There she stood in her sleep shorts and a tank top. She laughed at his blushing face.

"Really Scor, this is hardly the first time you have seen me like this, and I dare say it will not be the last."

Scorpius feigned ignorance. "Don't know what you are talking about. But since Blain is here, you might want to change since you mention it."

Lily stuck her tongue out at him and walked into her living room where the others were making themselves comfortable. Renee and Al were snuggled on the couch sipping on butter beers. Blain was pouring out shots of fire whiskey. Lily smiled at her small group of friends. Ignoring Scorpius' suggestion, she walked over to Blain for a shot of fire whiskey. She had been given some when she turned 17, but she had not drunk a lot of the stuff. Taking a shot she tossed it back like a pro. Lily gave a little cough and put a hand to her chest as the warm liquor slid down her throat. She felt the warmth infuse her body. Blain smiled.

"Nice one Lily. You took that like a true auror!" With that, Blain began to pass out shots to everyone. "To Lily and her first apartment!" Scorpius chimed in.

"And to putting up with her obnoxious neighbors that wake her up to make her drink." They laughed and everyone took a shot of fire whiskey. The second one went down even smoother. She grinned at them.

"Well, since you woke me up, I hope you have something else besides drinking planned. I keep going like this and I won't still be up in an hour, I'll be passed out on my couch."

The boys grinned at each other. "Of course we have some things planned." Just then there was a knock on the door. Lily raised an eyebrow at them and the boys gave her a sheepish smile. Scorpius looked at her with apologetic eyes.

"I told you you should probably change."

Al went and opened the door. In came Oz, Hugo, Rose, James, Fred, Marcus, Lor, Ly, and Melinda. Soon everyone was sitting on the floor sharing stories and telling jokes. It was just like late nights in the common room (well except for the alcohol). It brought back fond memories for everyone. Lily was between Blain and Al on the couch. She looked across at Scorpius. "Well, thanks for waking me up. I am really enjoying this."

The small apartment was full of laughter and smiling faces. Scorpius moved to sit on the couch. Lily leaned back against his legs. She felt safe and warm. Eventually, everyone started to trickle out and head home. Scorpius had laid his head down on the couch and fallen asleep. She didn't have the heart to wake him up. She told Al and Blain that he could just sleep there. She said goodnight to the boys and Renee. With kisses and hugs Lily finally had her apartment back.

She sighed at the sleeping form of Scorpius. "What am I going to do with you?" She smiled as she went to get a blanket to cover his sleeping form. The couch was nice and wide so she was not too concerned about him falling off. Lily leaned over to brush the hair from Scorpius' face. His eyes fluttered open.

"Lily?" It came out as a whisper. He looked up in a daze. His hand reached up to cup her face.

"Yes Scor?" Her heart began to pound like in her dream.

"Stay with me for a bit?" He was still half asleep, but she had never been able to say no to him. She was also thinking of the last two years. She had not seen him as often as she had wanted. She missed the physical closeness they used to share, so Lily just nodded. Scorpius turned on his side and lifted the blanket. Lily crawled in with her heart still going mad. _I must be crazy._ They had slept together before, but it was always while in the hospital wing or in a large group on the floor.

As she slipped under the blanket she felt his arm slip around her waist and pull her close to his body. Lily was surprised to find that she fit perfectly. Normally her short stature was awkward with people so much taller than her. She was trim and curvy, but she was not tall. She was someone they would call cute and sweet. Breathtakingly attractive was not something usually associated with Lily Potter. But this was so nice. She fit up next to Scorpius like she had been made for him.

She snuggled closer next to him. Scorpius pulled her tighter against him. He gave a small contented sigh and Lily could feel his body relax in sleep. Lily now lay awake. She could not sleep. Her heart was starting to pound less and less but she still did not know what was going on. She had never reacted to Scorpius like this. She was always comfortable with him but she had never felt her body react to him. It was like she was with a lover, not a friend.

It was about this time that the thought first entered her mind. It was there, back in the recesses of her mind, but it was not yet a fully conscious thought. It was too late in the night for that. She was tired after such a long night and it felt so good to be pressed up against someone she felt so safe with. Her brain slowly began to shut down and she started to fall into a deep peaceful sleep. There the two friends were, together in a warm embrace. For them, morning came much too soon.

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Scorpius was the first to awaken the next morning. His brain had not fully clicked on, but he knew he was warm and comfortable. It was the best night's sleep he had ever had. Even sleeping on a couch, he found that his body was relaxed in a way that he had rarely experienced.

His eyes were not yet opened. That was when something tickled his nose. He opened his eyes slowly. He was met with the back of a head of deep red hair. He knew the color instantly. Lily was still fast asleep in his arms. Her soft hair was a mess but it was extremely alluring spread out like that. _Where the hell did that come from?_

Lily sighed and turned in her sleep. She was now facing Scorpius. Scorpius looked down at his sleeping friend. She fit so nicely next to him. He looked at her face. It was relaxed and peaceful in sleep. Even now though there was a small line in her forehead. _She must be dreaming._ He reached up a hand to smooth the line from her forehead. Her skin was so soft to the touch and so very nice. She did not have the typical complexion of a redhead. She had skin that was nicely tanned from spending every morning outside.

Scorpius took a deep breath. He could smell Lily. It was so distinctive that he could tell she was in the area even if he could not see her. It was like being at the ocean and feeling the cool ocean breeze across your face. It was the smell of sea and sand with just a hit of something flowery.

He watched as her eyes began to flutter. His eyes met hers. They never failed to make his heart jump. There was something about the flash she got that always captivated him. If he thought she would let him, he would stare at her eyes for hours. The copper orbs seemed to change constantly. They were so Lily. He could tell what her mood was with one little glance. He knew if she was scared, upset, happy, or mischievous.

She blinked and focused on him. "Morning." She whispered. She sat up and stretched. Scorpius was just beginning to realize that his little Lily was no longer so little. He watched as the fabric stretched across her chest in a most appealing way. _Again, where the hell did that come from?_ Embarrassed by his thoughts Scorpius looked down.

Lily was now up and throwing open the blinds. "Feel like some coffee and breakfast on the balcony?" Scorpius was glad for a distraction. He smiled and nodded. "Why don't I jump into the shower while you start coffee?" He nodded and watched as she disappeared into the bathroom.

She emerged a short time later with a towel wrapped around her. She nodded to the shower. "I left hot water for you." He nodded and headed towards the bathroom. Lily went up to the bedroom. It was a true studio apartment where the bedroom didn't really have a door. It was raised with a small railing for 'privacy'.

As Scorpius changed into fresh conjured clothes for the day, he came out to the smell of bacon and eggs. Lily was now dressed and wide awake. Scorpius helped her to finish the breakfast and the two took their plates out to the balcony. Lily carried her sketchpad. Scorpius had not realized just how much he had missed his mornings with her. They didn't have to say anything. They just sat in the silence. After breakfast, Scorpius kissed her on the cheek and headed down to his own apartment to wake up his roommates.

The two friends started a new morning routine after that first morning though. Every morning, Scorpius would knock on her door with two cups of coffee. Lily would have breakfast waiting on the balcony. They again were spending every morning together as they had done while in school.

Both Lily and Scorpius were blissfully happy with the arrangement. It was like a part of them was returned. Al and Blain did not bother them for at least an hour. Even when Scorpius had a 'lady friend' over, he still came up for his hour with Lily. They did not sleep on the couch together again, but they were soon closer than ever. That was until the fight about Phillip.

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Ok, now we get to the fluffy. I haven't written much fluffy stuff so I would appreciate feedback. Too much? Too little? Anyways, a few more chapters and the two should have figured it all out.


	18. The Announcement

Many things happened that fateful summer

OK, I know I am drawing this out and I apologize for that. But to give you an idea of why, they have been friends since Lily was 11. She would have grown up thinking of him as more of a brother and Scorpius thought of Lily as a bit of a sister. They are always ok with the other dating because they are always dating someone they know won't last. That is why I am adding someone that Scorpius knows is completely wrong for Lily and that will force him to realize his true feelings and he will in turn convince Lily of that (at least he thinks he needs to convince her). Anyway, hope that clarifies why it is so drawn out. And now, on with the story.

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Many things happened that fateful summer. Lily had a chance to just relax and enjoy the time with her friends, when they were home of course. Blain had just finished his auror training a few months prior and was now working as a full fledged auror. There were not a ton of dark wizards to catch at the time, but those that were out there were difficult to catch so it took a lot of man hours and time. Al and Scorpius were always training, though this year they were not training as hard as previous years. The team had finally come together and they did not need to practice as much.

Lily used that summer to get caught up with a number of other friends. One was Oz. He was working under Uncle Percy. The two were amazingly alike. Their temperaments were very dry and they wee very involved in their work. Luckily Percy's children received their mother's personality so they were much more fun loving than their dad. They did have some of his dry characteristics, but not to the extreme.

Oz was enjoying life it seemed. He enjoyed the responsibilities Percy gave him and he strove to meet those responsibilities. Oz was not one to openly show his enjoyment, but Lily had never seen the serious young man smile so much in his life. It was a friendship that was not a loud and boisterous one like those that Lily shared with so many others. They would sit calmly watching the world pass and talk about how they were doing or what was going on in their lives. There were no extra words involved. Oz was not one for embellishments or long drawn out tails. In fact, one would be surprised to learn that these two very different individuals shared such a close friendship…or a friendship at all for that matter.

Lily had never questioned him or the motives he had for wanting to join their group. She had been the one to accept him no matter what. In fact, she was the only one that Oz had come out to. He had told no one else and he was not seeking a relationship at this time, so he saw no need. But he felt comfortable telling Lily. He knew she would not say a word to anyone, even Scorpius. Oz had seen the acceptance of Marcus, but he was still not ready and Lily accepted that with no questions or reservations.

After the kidnapping Oz had taken things very seriously. As he told Lily about his suspicions he had about Persephone he had broken down for the first time in his life. He had felt that had he come forward sooner, Lily would not have been in such a situation. Lily had cried with him and had forgiven him. After that Oz had been the one Lily went to when she wanted to get things off her chest about the kidnapping. Scorpius was still not ready to hear about her experiences there. He was ready to hear that someone he once trusted would use the unforgivable curses on his friend. Oz sat and listened however, never talking, just listening. They had become very close after that.

Now she and Oz would sit down at various stores once a week at Diagon Alley. They would watch people walk by and they would just relax knowing they were with friends. Oz would even come with her to see the others when they made it home for the day. The group tried to have dinner together at least twice a week and Lily was going out to her parent's house for dinner once a week. They tried to have Sunday Brunch with the whole family at the burrow. For someone who was not working yet, Lily was extremely busy.

All Lily was waiting for were her NEWT scores so she could submit them to the Ministry and receive her place at auror training. Until then, all she could do was wait, but she was keeping herself busy. She had even started to spend days at the shop so she could see more of James. Lily was really getting to know his assistant, Kelly. Kelly was smart and quiet and always trying to keep James focused. It was really quite entertaining to watch.

These were all little entertainments compared to the big news of the summer. The entire family had made it to a family dinner at the Burrow. Scorpius was even able to make it. As far as they were concerned, he and Blain were members of the family. Dinner was in full swing with conversation flying from every direction. Albus stood up and cleared his throat. Slowly the conversation died down. Al looked down at Renee and reached for her hand.

"We have a little announcement to make. Earlier today I asked Renee to marry me and she accepted." The entire table erupted in cheers. Congratulations flew fast and thick. Al was patted on the back and Renee was hugged by everyone. Tears had formed in Ginny's eyes. Blain looked at Lily and smiled.

"You owe me some galleons Lily."

"Rethink that Blain."

"No way, I bet they would announce it in July."

"Yes, but if you remember correctly, I called that it would be at dinner on the 16th. What is today?"

Blain quickly looked at the calendar on the wall. His eyes grew wide. "How did you do that?"

Before Lily could answer, Al looked over at her. "You've been betting on when I would announce it?"

Lily rolled her eyes at her brother. "Well of course we have. What else would we be betting on? When James will finally settle down?" Al looked affronted.

"Well…how did you guess the day?"

"Simple. You started dating three years ago to the day. It has meaning. This is the day you met when we went to the ice cream shop and she dropped her ice cream and you bought her a new one. In fact, I'm guessing that's where you proposed." Lily gave him a sly smile. Albus merely blushed to the roots of his hair and turned to his new fiancé. Blain looked at her in awe.

"Lily, that is just creepy. How do you remember that stuff?"

"I have a great memory. Let's see, when I first met you it was in July as well. You had just come to visit Al for the first time. You were wearing sunglasses that were too big for your face and you had just chipped a tooth. You were carrying your broom while Dad had your bag and when you ran over to see Al, you tripped on your robes."

Throughout this, Blain's eyes grew larger and larger. Scorpius too began to listen intently. "You remember that?" James leaned over.

"Don't be flattered. She can remember the first time she meets a lot of people. She can remember what I wore on my 11th birthday or what Al said to us when he went off to Hogwarts for the first time. She has a scary memory. We don't know where that comes from. I mean Dad is observant and all, but he doesn't have that kind of a memory. It's like she can take her mind back there anytime she wants and replay the memory all without the use of a pensive."

Throughout this discussion, Lily began to grow red. She hated when she was the center of attention. She tried to change the way the discussion was going, but by now James was rolling. He was telling them all about how she could use her photographic memory better than anyone he knew. Luckily, Al seemed to notice and he pulled her aside with Blain.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something. Will you guys be in the wedding? We want to ask James and Renee's sister Sara to be in it, but we would really like it if you would also be there with us." Lily and Blain both accepted amid hugs and kisses all around.

The rest of the dinner went off without incident. Everyone was thrilled for the young couple. Lily and the two of the three boys (Al wanted to go out and enjoy the night with Renee) headed back home. Lily walked with her arms through the arms of the boys on either side. They were talking happily about Al and Renee. Blain leaned over to Lily.

"You know Lily, I thought you would beat both your brothers to the alter."

"Why do you say that, Blain?"

Blain shrugged. "Well, you and…" Blain looked up at Scorpius and stuttered to a stop. "ummm…well, I just thought that with you and how close you get to people that someone would have scooped you up already."

Lily laughed at him, not really noticing how Scorpius stiffened. "That would involve me being in love Blain."

"You're not in love?" Lily thought for a moment.

"Well, there are a lot of forms of love. I love a lot of people in my life, but I have yet to feel the bowl me over kind of love I imagine you need." Scorpius cleared his throat.

"So, you want passionate love first?"

Lily smiled at him. "Well, yeah, I think that is important. You need to have passion for a marriage to work. But that's not the only love you need in a marriage."

Blain smiled at her. "Oh, and what other love do you need?"

"Friendship love. You need to feel that you can trust that person with your secrets. You need to be comfortable just sitting in a room together, without saying a word. You need to know that you can be angry and walk away and that person will understand that it is not them. Friends do that all the time. You get angry with each other, but with good friends, it never lasts for long. You know the friendship is greater than the argument. I mean, if we let little arguments get between us, Scorpius and I would have never have made it through our first year as friends." Lily laughed at the thought.

You could hear the humor in Blain's voice. "Oh, and what 'little' arguments did you ever have."

Lily exchanged a look with Scorpius. "Hmmm, well there was the time you accused me of spying for the quidditch team."

Scorpius continued, "Or the time I ditched you fro my friends after you fell down the stairs."

"Or when you brought Mel to our morning tree."

"Hey, we didn't fight about that."

"Doesn't mean I liked it. I just did it to make you happy."

"Well what about when you started to date Marcus?"

"Please, you introduced us."

"I did no such thing." For anyone who did not know the two, they would think a real fight was getting ready to start, but for their friends, this was their usual way of talking in public. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yes you did. If you hadn't been trying to use me to play a trick on him I would have never met him or have given him a second thought."

"Yeah and look at what happened to that one, he's gay." Soon the three of them were laughing. Marcus and Lily put up with the little jokes from the group. It made for the end a very nice day. Soon they were home and Lily and the boys headed off to her apartment, all the while thinking, _Who do I love and what exactly I am looking for?_ Blain's simple question now had Lily thinking. She went to bed with those thoughts swirling in her head.

XXXXXXXXX

The rest of the summer went very quickly. Wedding plans were underway and the boys were training for the upcoming season. Lily was thrilled. This was the first season in which she would get to see all of the home games. It was very exciting. Soon her NEWT scores came and she had passed with flying colors. Within days she was being called in for admission to the auror training interviews which she passed as well. Before she knew it, she was ready to begin training.

This was something she had been looking forward to for most of her life. She had been part of the planning for years. Uncle Ron would always come over and she would sit at the table while they planned out some new training ideas. She knew what to expect and she was not nearly as nervous as some of the other new trainees. There were only a few of them and she was told that in all likelihood, not all of them would make it through the training.

She and her dad had decided that he would not take as active a part in her training as he would the others. Many would realize that she had made it on her own, but not all would. Teddy had had the same difficulties because Harry was his Godfather. Teddy also decided not to hang out with her at work yet.

Mornings were classes and lessons. After a quick lunch they were off to practical training. There they used everything they had learned in the morning classes during this time.

Now that she was working, she did not see the boys as often, though Scorpius did show up every morning like clockwork. She soon began to realize that she was looking forward to the mornings. It was her favorite part of the day. She could not imagine a morning without Scorpius. She soon started to notice how her heart would pound at the thought of him, her palms would sweat. She noticed that sometimes the room was thick with tension, and yet she knew that nothing could ever happen between them. They were friends. They always would be. She watched the girls come in and out of his life. They were always tall and leggy with perfect hair and perfect makeup, and perfect everything. Everything a man could want. Some days it was quite depressing to watch, and yet in her heart she knew he would never settle down with one of these women. They were not permanent.

Lily didn't fully understand these thoughts or feelings. But somewhere, deep in her heart, she knew she had finally found the love she had told Blain about. And she also knew that he did not feel the same way. It made her irritable to think that he would never return her feelings. Maybe that was why the issue with Phillip went so poorly, why they had fought over something so stupid.

XXXXXXX

Ok, next chapter, I promise (unless some really good idea pops into my head in the next few days.)


	19. Weddings and Confessions

Sorry it took so long to post

Sorry it took so long to post. I have been really busy the last few days.

The wedding plans were underway. Lily was not a major part of the wedding, but Renee's family was even driving her nuts. Renee was the first daughter and the first to get married as far as her cousins were concerned, so they wanted everything to be perfect. They wanted to be a part of everything, down to the last flower. Blain and Lily were contacted at least once a month. Renee's family was full of questions and ideas and it was enough to drive Lily up the wall.

It was still three months to the wedding, and she could not hide anywhere. She couldn't hide in the boys' apartment because Al and Blain were there. It was too easy to track them all down that way. Her parents were completely understanding, but Al was ready to elope. The group was hiding out at Oz's apartment. Oz himself was out, but he had welcomed all four in to stay for awhile.

"If I had known it would be like this, I would have run away a long time ago."

Blain held up a butterbeer for Al and opened two for himself and Lily. "There's still time."

Al scrubbed his face with his hands. "Yeah, but Renee wants the big wedding so badly. I just can't say no to her. Not when it comes to this." He flopped his head against the back of the couch. "I can only hope that her family goes back to normal after this. I really do like them, but now I dread the very thought that I will have to spend even five minutes with them."

"And how is dear Renee feeling about this?"

"Merlin, she loves it. She isn't showing any stress and all we do anymore is talk about the wedding…If I didn't love her so much…" Al trailed off. Scorpius looked up from his dreamlike state in front of the fire.

"Well, I won't be caught in this kind of a mess when I finally settle down." Blain rolled his eyes at that.

"Please. Like your parents would let you get out of a wedding without the entire wizarding world being invited." Blain glanced at Lily and winked. "Well, most of the wizarding world. Maybe not the Potter branch." It was still an ongoing joke that Scorpius spent much of his summer and holidays with the Potters and yet Lily had not once been invited to go to the Malfoy Mansion. Draco had met Lily at the train station once and had never spoken to her since. When they happened to cross paths, she received the same curt nod as her father did.

"That is something I am going to fight for. If they want to see me married, they are just going to have to deal." It was Al who spoke this time.

"Yeah, not if you want to see any of that Malfoy fortune I'm betting. Face it, they would disinherit you." Lily finally came to his rescue.

"I agree with Scor. A nice small wedding with only friends and family. I wouldn't want my picture everywhere I looked. It is so unnerving." Blain now looked at Lily.

"And I say to you, the press won't let you have a small wedding. Sorry, the bane of the family fame."

"That fame is for my father, not me."

"Same thing Lily. Face it, neither of you will get a small ceremony. I just hope your future significant others can deal with it."

XXXXXXX

Unfortunately, they could not always hide out at the apartment. Blain had the luxury of hiding out with the other aurors. Lily was not yet allowed out on assignments so she was stuck at training grounds or at home where she could be found. Al and Scor had the quidditch pitch. No one was allowed to bother them out there. It was because of this that Lily began to wait outside the quidditch pitch more often. This was usually where the pick up games started, and she too could escape wedding plans.

They only had a month left and the planning had reached a fevered pitch. Lily had been shoved into more dress robes than she cared to remember. She had been in every color under the rainbow as well as a few made up colors. Her hair had been fried within an inch of its life because of practice hair appointments. Basically she was done with it all.

Because she had been spending so much time at the quidditch pitch, she also had to deal with Phillip more than normal. He seemed to think that she had started coming to the quidditch pitch just to see him. She had to put up with bad pick up lines and sugared compliments all the while listening to him talk about how wonderful he was. And if he mentioned meeting her father just one more time she was going to scream.

Instead, she plastered on a sugary smile and did her best to politely discourage him. Al was sympathetic, but his mind was elsewhere. He was being run ragged by his future in-laws. He did what he could, but often times he could not stay for pick up matches. He could only hide for so long before they started to track him down. Her only saving grace was Scorpius. Well she thought it was her only saving grace.

Lately, whenever Phillip was around Scorpius began to growl and grow very short with her. He was not really helping her out, but when she would try and talk to him about it, he would change the subject or feign ignorance. It was starting to really get on her nerves.

This particular day was worse than usual. He was acting like a real ass. Lily was not sure who she was more upset with, Phillip or Scorpius. Soon Scorpius won out. Phillip was starting to get a little too hands on and Lily felt like she was trying to wrestle the giant squid. Scorpius came up to them both and put an arm around Lily's shoulders. He glared at Phillip who quickly backed off.

"We need to talk, Now!" Lily was roughly taken from Phillip's side, much to her delight. She threw him a goodbye wave.

"Thanks, Scor, I…"but Lily got no further. Scorpius had stopped just outside the locker rooms.

"What the hell so you think you are playing at?"

Lily was no longer smiling. She pulled away from Scorpius and crossed her arms. _What am I playing at?_ "Excuse me?"

Her voice was now dangerously low and her eyes were like slits, but this did not seem to bother Scorpius in the least. He was shaking he was so mad. "What I mean is what do you think you are playing at going out with that git?"

"What the hell do you mean going out?"

"Please, he told me all about it. He said that you had been a little standoffish, but he had finally gotten you to agree to go out with him. I just can't believe that you would be going out with that, that, that human octopus. But then I see you today, cuddling and flirting, and I knew it was true! Honestly Lily, I expected more from you and I won't allow this."

Lily stood for a full minute trying to process what he was saying to her. Was he really telling her who she could and could not go out with? She forgot that there was not a chance she would ever be attracted to Phillip. Her mind was now stuck on the fact that Scorpius had told her that she did not have enough sense to pick out her own boyfriend. "You won't allow it? Just who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm your friend. And of course I won't allow it. He is an ass who wants nothing more than to further his career by getting to know your family. He's been talking about it for months now."

"Oh, so now I don't have enough sense to pick out a boyfriend and I am ugly as well. Obviously the only reason anyone would want to date me is my father." Lily was now fuming and Scorpius was just now realizing that he had said the wrong thing.

"No, I didn't mean that…"

"Can it! I don't want to hear any more. For the last few weeks I have put up with your attitude. You do not control me Scor. Never once have I told you who you can and cannot date. I am a big girl and you have no claims on me. You do not get to decide my life. If I want to date an octopus I will! I do not know what your problem is, but fix it!"

"My problem? What about your problem? Lily, you cannot think that this is someone right for you. He takes longer in front of the mirror than Aunt Victorie. You cannot think this is right. He will treat you like a prize Lily." Scorpius was slowly calming down, but Lily was just getting started.

"So it bad for me to want someone who will think so highly of me? Someone who thinks of me as someone who is prized?"

"No Lily. You don't deserve to be someone's prize."

"Then what do I deserve?" Lily was now very hurt. He did not think of her the way she thought of him. He was being typical Scor, always putting down her boyfriends. She was getting so sick of it. She never told him who to date or what to do. This was ridiculous. She looked up at Scorpius and saw the sad look on his face.

"You deserve to be thought of as a gift." With that Scorpius walked into the locker room, leaving Lily open mouthed in the hall.

XXXX

The next month was pure hell. Lily wanted to forgive him. She soon realized that his heart was in the right place. She had tried once to apologize. She had opened it was an invitation to be her date at the wedding. Scorpius had glared at her "Why don't you take your precious new beau. He is so much more important than me or what I have to say."

The fight had begun anew with that little comment. She was so tired of defending her dating choices. Blain was there for the last comment and he saw the tears welling up. He had wrapped her in a hug. "Lily, don't mind him. He is just confused right now. He'll come around."

Lily had wiped her eyes quickly. "I don't care. He can do whatever he wants. He doesn't care what I have to say right now."

Lucky for Al, he never had to take sides. They only had a week to go before the wedding and he was never there anyway. Blain was the unfortunate one. He was stuck between the two. Because he and Lily were both in the wedding and they both worked at the ministry they spent a lot of time together. Blain tried to defuse the situation, but it seemed that nothing was working. He had Lily would sit and talk to her for hours about it. When he went home he was ready to do the same for Scorpius, but Scor was not talking. Somewhere along the line, he finally figured out why Lily was taking it so hard.

"When did you realize it?"

Lily looked up in surprise. "What do you mean Blain?"

"When did you realize you were in love with him?" Lily blinked at Blain with forlorn eyes.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Only to someone that knows you too. We always suspected there was something there between you too, but you have just been, well I don't know. I guess I have always suspected and I just realized that you are acting like a jilted lover not a person who has an idiot best friend."

Lily placed her head I her hands. "Do you think he knows?"

"No way. He wouldn't act this way if he did." He put a hand on Lily's back. "Maybe if you talked to him, explained things…"

"No! Swear to me you won't say anything to him."

"But Lily, maybe he feels the same way. In fact I know he feels the same way."

"No Blain. You've seen his type and short little redheads with tempers are not his type. No…we will continue on as friends same as we always have. Assuming he ever talks to me again."

Any other attempts Blain made to help her or push the two together failed. He soon saw more of Lily than Scor and Al combined. It was only natural that he asked her to be his date to the wedding. They were walking together after all, and the girl he wanted to take was off limits as far as he was concerned. Scorpius was still ignoring Lily and he was not really talking to Blain either. It made for a very long week.

XXXXX

The wedding day arrived. Everything was going beautifully. They had finally settled on a beautiful deep green for the wedding colors. The green really helped to bring out the copper eyes on Lily. Her hair was piled high with soft curls falling around her shoulders. Heels gave her a little more height and she could not feel prettier.

The ceremony was wonderful and went without any problems. Al and Renee were smiling so hard Lily thought they would crack. You could not help but feel happy for the couple. They smiled and laughed and shared shy little kisses throughout the party. The band soon arrived and the dancing began. Now that the formalities were taken care of, the fun could begin.

The families seemed to feel the weight of the wedding lift and things went back to normal. Al could be seen laughing with his new father-in-law. Renee and her mom were sharing a drink with Harry and Ginny. It was so good to see that the stresses of the wedding planning had finally lifted. Lily had been worried about the families for a while there, but it seemed that they had gone back to their carefree and laughing demeanors.

Couples soon flooded the dance floors and the laughter and joy spread. Even Lily and Scorpius were smiling, though they were not near each other at the time. Blain and Lily joined the dancing couples and Lily felt happy and free for the first time in weeks. She loved to dance. It was so relaxing and yet exhilarating at the same time. Lucky for her, Blain was an excellent dancer. They moved across the dance floor was grace and soon many couples had stopped to watch. Lily threw back her head and laughed, causing some of the carefully placed curls to escape. There was no one more beautiful right then except for the bride.

Halfway through the dance, Lily felt someone tap her shoulder. It was Scorpius. He had a sad smile on his face. He looked at Blain. "Mind if I cut in?"

"Not at all." Blain gave Lily a little wink. "Save a dance for me later."

Just as Scorpius took Lily into his arms the music changed. It was now a slow soft song that seemed to require close bodies and intimate whispers. Lily blushed at Scorpius just before he pulled her close. It was a bit awkward and she knew that he was feeling it too.

"You look really pretty today. Very dressed up." Lily smiled nervously.

"You've seen me dressed up before. How is this different than all the other times? You never said I was pretty then."

"Yeah, but that was little girl Lily. I haven't seen you dolled up in awhile. You are now grown up Lily. And you are more than pretty. You are beautiful."

"Thank you. You look dashing as always." The tension increased between the two despite the polite words and sentiments.

After a full minute Scorpius and Lily spoke as one. "I'm sorry." They gave a soft laugh and the tension eased just a bit. Lily began to say something as Scorpius raised his fingers to her lips to silence her. She stared up at him her lips tingling where his fingers had been just a moment before.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I have been doing a lot of thinking about why I would have done such a thing. I guess it is just that I have never really liked your choice in boyfriends, "Lily snorted at this, "and I had never really stopped to think why this one would be so different. I have never liked your boyfriends and yet I have never reacted like this. Then it hit me, this one was different. He is someone that would use you and while I know you can handle yourself, I never want to see you hurt. I knew none of the others would hurt you. They respected you, even if they were not right for you."

Lily rolled her eyes at the last part. "I just can't believe you thought I would be attracted to that git." Scorpius gave a rueful smile. They heard the music stop. Lily felt a loss as his warm arms dropped from her waist. Scorpius took Lily by the hand and led her to a more private location, away from the party and other guests.

"I know. I just saw how he kept coming onto you and I didn't like it. And you were just sitting there and laughing with him. Al finally knocked some sense into me a few days ago out in practice. He really came down hard on me about how you were just playing nice and how could I not see it."

"I just remember the trouble I got you into with Grayson and your other Slytherin buddies. I didn't want to make the team a hostile place for you and I thought you saw that. I am sorry that I didn't make my feelings perfectly clear to you before. When you started in on me, I should have done that rather than get angry. You left thinking I really did like him when there is no possible way."

Scorpius raised a brow and gave a small smile. "Oh really? And why is that?"

Lily debated quietly just how much to tell him. She did not want to give away too much about her own feelings, but she hated lying to Scor. There was still an awkward tension in the air and she knew lying would only make it worse. She took a deep breath. "Because I love someone else." Scorpius stiffened next to her. She watched as his face became a mask. She did not know what to think. Then she watched as a smile lit his face.

"Really? Well congratulations! Who is the lucky guy?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters. You will of course need friend approval. Now tell." Lily shook her head.

"It really doesn't matter. He doesn't even know I exist on a girlfriend level. I am just not his type."

"Nonsense. Anyone who did not sweep you into their arms in a second is an idiot!" Scorpius said these words in an outraged voice. "You are a treasure Lily and you would make a fine girlfriend for anyone. It is just a matter of whether or not they deserve you."

Lily gave him a smile but said nothing.

"Well if you won't tall me, I will just have to guess." He stared at her for a long time. Then his eyes popped open wide. His face turned into a frown. "Oh Merlin…"

"What?" She saw that look and panic set in. He had guessed it. She knew he had guessed it and now their friendship would be ruined forever. He would never talk to her the same and it would always be like this with tension in every word and action. Lily gulped and looked into his eyes. They were not smiling but were filled with sadness.

"It's Blain. Of course, it all makes sense. The way you were dancing earlier and the smile and…All these years I thought it was Blain that liked you, but really it has been the other way around. And you think that he doesn't return the feeling." Scorpius stood up. He paced a bit before turning on his heels and walking off. Lily was struck dumb. She could not move. Her eyes were wide. Finally her brain kicked in and she forced herself to move, to run towards the party.

Lucky for her it was winding down. Many were leaving and soon they would have nothing left to do but clean up. The young couple had already headed off for their honeymoon amid tears of joy and hugs galore. With so few left, it didn't take Lily long to spot Blain, but where was Scorpius?

She rushed to Blain. "What's wrong?"

"Where is Scor? Where did her go?"

"Why? Lily what happened to you two?"

"I don't know Blain. One minute we are starting to laugh and the next he is claiming that I am pining after you and off he runs. Merlin how did I mess this up so bad? Please where did he go?"

Blain pointed towards a small grove of trees just aver a small hill. The two ran towards it. There stood Scorpius. He was starting at the ground, his jacket discarded on the ground. His lean body was leaning against a tree and his head was hung in a defeated way. He heard the two approach and he looked up, a mask quickly hiding what he was feeling. He gave a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Ah, the happy young couple. I guess congratulations are in order. Blain you better do everything in your power to make her happy because if you don't I will have to hurt you and I hate to hurt my friends." Blain walked over to Scorpius.

"Lord you are an idiot!"

"Excuse me?"

"I don't love Lily."

"What?" Scorpius now had a shell shocked look on his face like he couldn't understand the words coming out of Blain's mouth.

"You can be so dense. I do not love Lily. She does not love me. In fact, she knows who I love and she has kept that secret for me for years. Trust me, we are not a couple nor will we ever be a couple."

"Well, if you don't love Lily, who do you love?" It was a challenge. He wanted proof that they were not just covering up for his feelings. Blain sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Melinda."

"Wait, Melinda? As in my ex?"

"Yes, your ex, Melinda."

Scorpius looked confused. "Then why were you dancing like that with Lily and not her?"

"Because, she is your ex. I couldn't very well profess my love to her not knowing how it would affect you."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Blain you can be such a girl. We dated when we were 13. If we were supposed to be together, we would be."

Blain stared at his friend. "You mean you really wouldn't be mad?"

"No." He looked at Lily, "And he called me the idiot."

Blain looked at Lily. "Do you have this handled?" Lily nodded and Blain raced off, not willing to waste any more time.

Now the two stood, back in their awkward silence. Finally Lily reached out to Scorpius with sad eyes. "Oh Scorpius. I am sorry. I tried to tell you, but you ran off." Scorpius merely shrugged. Tears welled in Lily's eyes. "Why can't we just go back to the way things were? Cant' we just go back to being friends? I hate this tension, these stupid fights. Please."

Scorpius Listened to her pleas. He finally shook his head. "We can't Lily."

"But why?" She was desperate now. "I am sorry. I will never react like that again. We are wonderful friends Scor. Please don't throw that away for something so silly and foolish as our little fight."

Scorpius sighed sadly. "I can't go back to being friends Lily. I can't because I want more. I am tired of looking at woman and always comparing them to you. When someone brushes the hair out of their face, it is not the way you would do it. They never sigh like you and laugh like you and I am tired of trying to find someone who is you because there will never be anyone like you. I have loved you for so long and yet it only started to dawn on me recently. I can't imagine a day without you. But now I am too late."

Lily stared at him, awestruck. "Why?"

"I'm too late. You love someone else. You sat there and told me you were in love and I could see it in your eyes. You weren't lying. I am just too late and now I have missed my chance."

Lily began to laugh as his words hit her. Soon she was doubled over in laughter. Scorpius growled at her. "Just what is so damn funny?"

"You really are an idiot." Lily was now smiling so hard she thought her face would burst. She was so happy.

"Oh, and why am I an idiot?" His voice was low and dangerous.

"Because I wasn't talking about Blain, I was talking about you."

Scorpius' hands dropped to his sides. "What?"

"I love you." She said the words slowly as if explaining things to a toddler. "When I talked about someone who loved me but did not return the sentiment, I was talking about you."

But Lily got no further in her speech. She was hoisted into the air and Scorpius pulled her close crushing her mouth with his own. The kiss was electric. She felt every single cell of her body tingle. He deepened the kiss and her eyes fluttered closed. She did not need food, or water, or air. All she needed was this.

Her arms tightened around his neck. They did not part for a very long time.

XXXXXXXX

Later, everyone would roll their eyes and say, "About time." Scorpius and Lily would just laugh and hold each other closer. It was the perfect beginning.

XXXXXXXXX

Ok, that's it. The end. I am thinking about continuing their story if anyone is interested, but I need to gather some ideas first. I may also start a new story to give my brain a break from this one, but I will see what the general response is. I know that if I do continue their story it will look at proposal, wedding, and possible children. Hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thanks again for all the reviews and the ideas. You are all wonderful. If anyone has any ideas for any new stories, please feel free to send me a message. I am looking for a new challenge.

VirginAuthor


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